[Third Person Pov]
Polyphemus launched himself at Percy with a thunderous roar, the sound echoing off the cavern walls behind him as his massive form surged forward. His single, cloudy eye narrowed with raw rage and animalistic aggression, every step cracking stone beneath his weight as he tried to crush the demigod outright.
Percy didn't hesitate. He whipped his trident in a sharp arc, unleashing a surging blast of water that slammed into the cyclops' chest. He spun again—another sweeping strike, then another—each rotation of the weapon forcing Polyphemus back inch by inch. With every swing, Percy pressed the advantage, his movements fluid and relentless, refusing to give the monster time to recover.
Growling in fury, Polyphemus slammed both fists into the ground. The earth buckled beneath the impact as he tore free a massive chunk of stone and soil, a boulder nearly as wide as Percy himself. With a roar, he hurled it through the air with all his might, the projectile screaming toward its target.
Percy stabbed the butt of his trident into the ground. In response, a tidal wave erupted upward, water exploding from the earth in a violent surge that crashed head-on into the boulder. The force slowed it, but not enough—until Clarisse suddenly appeared at Percy's side. She grabbed him by the arm and spun him out of the way just as the boulder thundered past, smashing into the ground beside them and sending shards of rock flying.
"Thanks," Percy said with a quick grin, barely winded.
Clarisse snorted as she withdrew her spear, her expression fierce and focused. "This is a quest we took together. So we're ending it together. Don't forget that, fish-brain."
Before Polyphemus could recover, the ground trembled again. The massive boulder that had nearly flattened Percy and Clarisse shuddered—then slowly rose into the air. Tyson stood beneath it, muscles straining as he lifted the slab over his head.
"Ahhh!! Don't attack my bro!" Tyson roared, hurling the boulder back with terrifying strength.
Polyphemus never saw it coming. Half-blind and disoriented, he barely had time to grunt before the boulder slammed into him, driving him backward. The earth slab crashed down onto his foot, and he howled in pain, hopping clumsily on one leg as the ground cracked beneath him.
Seeing their opening, Percy, Clarisse, and Tyson surged forward together, moving as a single, unified front against the wounded cyclops.
From the sidelines, Lucian pretended to wipe away tears as he spoke dramatically. "They grow up so fast… just look at them go."
"…I wanna fight a monster too…" Nico muttered under his breath, pouting slightly as he kicked a pebble off into the distance.
Lucian chuckled softly and patted Nico on the head, then turned his attention back to the battle unfolding before them.
Tyson grabbed Percy and Clarisse without warning and hurled them toward Polyphemus. Clarisse flew up first, slamming into the cyclops' face. She swung her shield hard against his cheek, and the impact unleashed a concussive explosion. Though Polyphemus' thick skull resisted the direct blow, the shockwave still rocked him, staggering his massive frame.
At the same time, Percy unleashed a barrage of razor-sharp icicle spikes straight at Polyphemus' face. The cyclops screamed and clutched at his eye, blinded further by pain and frost. Percy landed against the monster's chest, driving his trident deep into flesh. Despite the awkward angle, he twisted midair and landed cleanly on his feet, enhanced agility carrying him forward as he began wall-running diagonally down Polyphemus' torso. He dragged the sharp edge of his trident along the cyclops' body, leaving a long, red laceration in his wake.
Clarisse, using the momentum from her explosion, vaulted over Polyphemus' shoulders. She drove her spear into his back and let gravity take over, ripping it free as she dropped away.
Polyphemus' roar shook the battlefield. Loose rocks and debris rattled and fell as the sound tore through the air. The others winced and covered their ears, the tormented bellow vibrating painfully through their skulls. When Percy and Clarisse landed back on the ground, blood streamed freely from the cyclops' wounds, staining the earth beneath him.
Enraged and panicking, Polyphemus began thrashing wildly. He punched, kicked, stomped, and flailed his limbs in every direction, his movements clumsy and desperate—like a giant child throwing a violent tantrum. Each strike was fueled by pain and fury, an attempt to lash out and inflict the same suffering he had been dealt.
The trio took full advantage of it. Clarisse hammered his lower half with shockwaves from her shield and spear, destabilizing his stance, while Tyson pummeled his joints with massive, chaotic swings of his fists. Every blow worked to slow him down, to keep him off balance.
Meanwhile, Percy unleashed a relentless storm of water and ice, waves crashing and frost biting into the half-blind cyclops. With every attack, he grew more confident—not just in his control over the elements, but in issuing commands and coordinating their assault. He wasn't just fighting anymore; he was thinking, planning, leading.
And Polyphemus, for all his size and strength, was steadily being overwhelmed.
"I have a plan, but I need to draw his attention," Percy said as they regrouped, his voice sharp and commanding as his eyes flicked between Clarisse and the raging cyclops. "Clarisse—just make sure he doesn't hit you."
Clarisse didn't bother answering. She broke into a full sprint, slamming her spear against her shield again and again as she charged straight at Polyphemus.
"HEY, FAT BASTARD!!" she roared, her voice ringing across the battlefield. "You're so fat you actually thought about marrying your food! How pathetic is that?!"
Polyphemus bellowed in pure fury, veins bulging along his neck as he raised his massive arm. "I'll crush your head until you're nothing but minced meat!" he thundered, swinging his fist down like a falling tower.
The first blow slammed into the ground where Clarisse had been a split second earlier. She rolled to the side and flowed straight into another dodge, boots skidding across stone as the cyclops followed up with another fist, then a stomp. Each impact sent tremors rippling through the earth, but Clarisse danced between them with sharp instincts and brutal precision, never slowing, never panicking.
"What are you waiting for, Jackson?!" Clarisse shouted, sparing a furious glare toward Percy as she narrowly avoided another crushing strike.
"Wait for it!" Percy replied, eyes locked on Polyphemus as the monster's attention fully zeroed in on Clarisse.
With a deafening roar, Polyphemus raised both fists high into the air and brought them down together like a meteor strike. The concussive shockwave exploded outward, blasting Clarisse off her feet. She was hurled backward through the air, spinning once before slamming her spear into the ground to anchor herself, skidding to a stop just short of tumbling away.
"Now!!" Percy shouted.
He swung his trident down with all his strength. The water he had been quietly gathering surged forward in a roaring pillar, crashing against Polyphemus' massive fists where they were embedded in the ground. In an instant, the water hardened and crystallized, freezing solid into a thick, dense shell of ice that locked the cyclops' arms in place. Polyphemus roared and struggled, but even with his monstrous strength, he couldn't break free in a single attempt.
Percy didn't stop. More water spiraled up around him, responding to his will as he shaped it into an enormous hammer—easily taller than himself. Frost raced across its surface as he froze it solid, forming a massive ice mallet that gleamed with deadly intent.
"Tyson!" Percy shouted. "Smash it into his face!"
Tyson didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat. Absolute trust shone in his eyes as he grabbed the handle and charged forward. He leapt onto Polyphemus' frozen fist, scaled the giant arm with powerful strides, and hauled himself upward.
Feeling the tide turn against him, Polyphemus bellowed in desperation. "POSEIDON!! ASSIST ME!!"
"I'm sorry for this!!" Tyson cried out, muscles flexing as he lifted the massive hammer to his side. With a fierce battle cry, he swung.
The impact was catastrophic.
Polyphemus' face visibly caved in for a moment. Yellowed teeth and rotten bone shattered outward as his jaw dislocated with a sickening crack. The cyclops was ripped free from his frozen restraint by the sheer force of the blow, sent tumbling backward through the air before crashing to the ground in a heap, completely disoriented. A second later, his massive body went limp, unconscious.
As Tyson landed, the ice hammer shattered in his hands, exploding into shards that skidded across the ground. Clarisse and Percy rushed over, each slapping Tyson on the back.
"Nice one, Tyson!!" Percy said with a wide grin.
"Hehehe," Tyson giggled shyly, scratching the back of his head as praise washed over him.
Lucian stepped forward slowly, clapping as he spoke. "That was honestly some impressive teamwork from the three of you. Well done."
The trio smirked, pride swelling in their chests. Lucian tilted his head slightly, his tone casual—too casual. "Well? Aren't you going to kill it? All you did was knock it unconscious."
Percy hummed thoughtfully as he stared at the fallen cyclops. "Nah. He's harmless now that he's beaten. He can't do anything to us anymore."
"I see," Lucian replied softly. "Well, in that case~"
He lazily raised two fingers.
Without warning, long, thick, jagged spikes of earth erupted from the ground. They pierced straight through Polyphemus' body in multiple places, hoisting the cyclops high into the air like a grotesque display. Blood gushed violently from the puncture wounds, cascading down the stone spikes and painting them a deep, horrifying crimson.
"Thank you for allowing me the privilege," Lucian said with a wide grin.
Everyone froze.
Not because Lucian had killed the cyclops.
But because of what would followed.
"Lucian?! What have you done?!" Annabeth cried out, panic flooding her voice. "You know what happened to Odysseus after he only blinded him! What do you think is going to happen to you now that you killed him?!"
The sky above them began to churn. Clouds gathered rapidly, darkening from gray to black, thunder rumbling with growing authority. Lightning cracked across the heavens, charged with unmistakable rage.
Lucian shoved his hands into his pockets and looked up at the storm, his grin stretching into something manic. "Yeah, of course I remember," he said calmly. "Why else do you think I did it?"
He turned away from the group, spreading his arms wide as he faced the roiling clouds.
"Perseus' battle with Polyphemus was only the prelude," Lucian declared loudly. "The real finale of this quest begins now!! Isn't that right… Poseidon?!"
The storm answered.
The clouds twisted and condensed until a massive face took shape within them—the unmistakable visage of Poseidon himself. Thunder boomed as his voice echoed across the land, shaking the very air.
"LUCIAN!!!"
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