Rick Riordan
The Sea Monsters - 02
tell I was wearing it.
"Didn't finish in time for the trip," Tyson mumbled. "Sorry, sorry."
"Hey, man. No big deal."
"If you need protection in race," he advised, "hit the button."
"Ah, okay." I didn't see how keeping time was going to help a whole lot, but I was touched
that Tyson was concerned. I promised him I'd remember the watch. "And, hey, um, Tyson ..."
He looked at me.
"I wanted to say, well ..." I tried to figure out how to apologize for getting embarrassed about
him before the quest, for telling everyone he wasn't my real brother. It wasn't easy to find the words.
"I know what you will tell me," Tyson said, looking ashamed. "Poseidon did care for me after
all."
"Uh, well—"
"He sent you to help me. Just what I asked for."
I blinked. "You asked Poseidon for ... me?"
"For a friend," Tyson said, twisting his shirt in his hands. "Young Cyclopes grow up alone on
the streets, learn to make things out of scraps. Learn to survive."
"But that's so cruel!"
He shook his head earnestly. "Makes us appreciate blessings, not be greedy and mean and
fat like Polyphemus. But I got scared. Monsters chased me so much, clawed me sometimes—"
"The scars on your back?"
A tear welled in his eye. "Sphinx on Seventy-second Street. Big bully. I prayed to Daddy for
help. Soon the people at Meriwether found me. Met you. Biggest blessing ever. Sorry I said
Poseidon was mean. He sent me a brother."
I stared at the watch that Tyson had made me.
"Percy!" Annabeth called. "Come on!"
Chiron was at the starting line, ready to blow the conch.
"Tyson ..." I said.
"Go," Tyson said. "You will win!"
"I—yeah, okay, big guy. We'll win this one for you." I climbed on board the chariot and got
into position just as Chiron blew the starting signal.
The horses knew what to do. We shot down the track so fast I would've fallen out if my arms
hadn't been wrapped in the leather reins. Annabeth held on tight to the rail. The wheels glided
beautifully. We took the first turn a full chariot-length ahead of Clarisse, who was busy trying to fight
off a javelin attack from the Stoll brothers in the Hermes chariot.
"We've got 'em!" I yelled, but I spoke too soon.
"Incoming!" Annabeth yelled. She threw her first javelin in grappling hook mode, knocking
away a lead-weighted net that would have entangled us both. Apollo's chariot had come up on our
flank. Before Annabeth could rearm herself, the Apollo warrior threw a javelin into our right wheel.
The javelin shattered, but not before snapping some of our spokes. Our chariot lurched and
wobbled. I was sure the wheel would collapse altogether, but we somehow kept going.
I urged the horses to keep up the speed. We were now neck and neck with Apollo.
Hephaestus was coming up close behind. Ares and Hermes were falling behind, riding side by side
as Clarisse went sword-on-javelin with Connor Stoll.
If we took one more hit to our wheel, I knew we would capsize.
"You're mine!" the driver from Apollo yelled. He was a first-year camper. I didn't remember
his name, but he sure was confident.
"Yeah, right!" Annabeth yelled back.
She picked up her second javelin—a real risk considering we still had one full lap to go—and
threw it at the Apollo driver.
Her aim was perfect. The javelin grew a heavy spear point just as it caught the driver in the
chest, knocking him against his teammate and sending them both toppling out of their chariot in a
backward somersault. The horses felt the reins go slack and went crazy, riding straight for the
crowd. Campers scrambled for cover as the horses leaped the corner of the bleachers and the
golden chariot flipped over. The horses galloped back toward their stable, dragging the upside-down
chariot behind them.
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