Wrath
Annabeth watched as the giant, with only three strides, covered at least fifty meters, making him far too fast to feel real.
Nervous, she fumbled for her invisibility cap and pulled it on just as the giant arrived. He stopped abruptly and looked around, confused.
"Hm? Was that my imagination?" he muttered. He had good eyesight, but it was not as if he had actually seen her clearly.
Then he bent down slightly and sniffed the air for a moment before curling his horrendous yellow teeth into a smile.
"No… it seems the heroes came for their friends," he said happily, glancing around without being able to find Annabeth, who had covered her mouth so not even her breathing could be heard. After all, the Cyclops' sharp hearing was well known.
Meanwhile, the Cyclops rested his massive hand on the boulder he used as a door, noticing it was just barely open.
"Hahaha. Looks like they tried to get in. What a shame," he said, about to shove the rock back into place and seal the cave completely.
When Annabeth saw that, she felt she could not allow the opening to close. She felt that Percy, from inside, if he pushed hard enough, might be able to move the rock. And maybe that small gap really did matter.
"Hey!" Annabeth shouted from her invisible state. "Over here, you big idiot!" she yelled again.
"Hm?" The Cyclops turned his head, stopping his hand mid-motion, anger flashing at the insult. "What did you say?"
"I said you are an idiot. An ignorant fool," she shouted.
"Who dares insult me?" Polyphemus roared, grabbing his shepherd's staff and swinging it through the air, trying to strike where the voice came from.
"You missed, you oversized moron. You did not hit anyone," Annabeth shouted.
Hearing that, Polyphemus seemed to grow even more furious.
"No one?" he bellowed as he brought the staff down through the air again. The sound of it slicing through the wind was so violent it felt like it could kill her in a single blow.
Fortunately, every time she shouted, Annabeth shifted position quickly before throwing out another insult.
"Yes, no one. You are so stupid you cannot hit anyone. You cannot even strike a shadow," Annabeth said, using the same name Odysseus had once used to trick him.
"I remember that name… No One!" the giant roared, enraged, as he kept smashing at empty air.
"How could a fool like you remember a name like that? You are nothing but an idiot," Annabeth continued, her insults simple but surprisingly effective.
"Graaah!" the giant roared, blinded by rage and thirst for revenge.
Meanwhile, inside the cave, Percy was listening to everything through the narrow opening. His expression was serious. Annabeth could be in real danger.
"What do we do, Percy? We have to help her," Grover said nervously.
"I know," Percy replied before stepping back from the massive rock, as if preparing for a sprint.
"What are you doing?" Clarisse asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Percy did not answer. He stared at the boulder and then rushed forward, slamming his shoulder into it and pushing with all his strength. The enormous stone trembled slightly, and for a brief moment it seemed to shift enough for the opening to widen just a little more.
Clarisse and Grover's eyes widened in surprise.
Percy let out a heavy breath before backing up again, listening to Annabeth's insults outside and the violent whistle of the wind each time Polyphemus' staff cut through the air.
He ran at the rock again, slamming his body into it and pushing with everything he had.
"Graaah!" he roared, veins standing out along his neck and arms. His clothes tore slightly against the rough surface, but he did not care. When the opening widened just a little more, he stepped back and hurled himself at it again.
Clarisse, even if she disagreed with Percy on many things, could not help but feel a flicker of respect for him. She clicked her tongue, then moved closer and, using her spear as leverage, began helping to pry the boulder loose.
Grover pressed himself against the stone as well and pushed with all the strength he had.
Percy glanced at the two of them for a brief second. Then he fixed his eyes on the rock again and charged once more, this time with such force that his skin split slightly from the friction, a thin line of blood staining the stone.
The opening was now clearly wider.
Outside, Polyphemus seemed to hear the grinding of the shifting rock and turned slightly.
"What are you doing, you thick-headed fool? Getting distracted? That is why you cannot hurt anyone. You are still a hideous monster," Annabeth shouted, dragging his attention back to her.
"I will kill you! This time I will!" Polyphemus roared, tossing his staff aside. He grabbed an enormous rock from the ground and hurled it toward the voice.
Invisible, Annabeth moved. But when she saw the boulder flying straight at her, real fear clenched her chest, and she sprinted even faster to get out of the way.
A thunderous crash echoed as the rock slammed into the ground and shattered.
Annabeth let out a sharp breath. She knew that if it had hit her, she would not have had a chance.
"There!" Polyphemus shouted when he heard her breathing, swinging his arm in a wide arc.
This time, Annabeth could not dodge. The giant was faster. His massive hand struck her full on, sending her crashing into the wall. The impact was brutal. Her cap flew off and rolled across the ground. Her figure shimmered back into view.
She lay there now, injured, blood running from her head, unconscious.
"Hahaha! I found you," Polyphemus said as he approached step by step. His enormous hand lowered to grab her.
But before he could, the rock covering the cave entrance suddenly shifted wide enough for a normal person to pass through.
And standing in the opening, with a gaze as cold as death, his body scraped raw and streaked with blood from forcing his way past the stone, was Percy.
He looked at Annabeth for a moment.
There was no trace of the boy who had been joking minutes earlier. He did not shout. He did not say a word.
The rage in his eyes was enough.
Words were unnecessary.
He turned to Polyphemus.
He looked the way one looks at something that is already dead.