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I wanted to use another word, but none would come to mind. Waxy clumps the size of all four of us put together, were lit up and placed around a table where he seemed to keep all of histrinkets. Pelts, chewed-on bones, dolls made of coconuts and palm fronds, and stuffed into old tunics and trousers, and the doll of honor that was given a necklace with a key on it.
“Guys?” Jason lifted a trembling finger. “Do you recognize those uniforms?”
I nodded slow. “Now we know why the bodies of those two students and the professor didn’t come when Headmaster Drakos summoned them.”
“Because they were in his stomach,” Nitsa squeaked. Tears down ran her face. She was so terrified, I don’t think she noticed she was crying.
Thud.
We gaped at Jason. The man fainted. Flat-out, lights-off, knees-gave-up passed out on the ground.
Theron gave him a grim look. “That’s the most sensible thing anyone’s done all day.”
“What do we do?” Nitsa gritted. “We can’t get up there withoutclimbing on him.”
“What if we—?”
The cyclops snorted in his sleep.
We ran.
We didn’t pause. We didn’t think. Snagging Jason’s tunic, we hauled ass—dragging him across the ground until we were far enough away to—
“Holy fucking fuck!”
“Did you see that thing!”
“We can’t do this. We just can’t do this. We’re done.”
—freak out.
I threw my back against a tree, sliding down to the ground. “Guys, we can’t be done. We have to get the key. We have to save my mom.” I was talking as much to them as I was my noodle-legs. They didn’t want to hold me up anymore, let alone walk meback to certain death in a one-eyed giant’s stomach. “Just let me think.”
“Think? Think about what?” Nitsa was half-screaming. “That we’re a bunch of Sisypheans and the only Titan in the group literally passed out in terror! That creature eats people, Aella! It eats them, shits out their clothes, and makes dolls with them! Dolls, do you hear me? DOLLS!” she shrieked, blowing my eyes wide.
“I bet this is Poseidon’s challenge.” Theron paced a groove in the earth. “He was the father of cyclopes. Fitting for the gods of the seas. You can’t beat the ocean, and you can’t beat a cyclops. We’re done.”
“Please, stop saying we’re done.” I rose up, holding out my hands. I rubbed their shoulders soothingly, passing on calm I did not feel. “Guys, take a minute, take a breath, and let’s think. This might not be so bad.”
Nitsa goggled at me. “Aella, I mean this in the most loving way, what the fuck is wrong with you? Not so bad? It literally could not be worse.”
“It could be worse.” I looked them in the eyes. “He could be awake.”
They made to say something and stopped. Understanding dawned as they traded looks.
“It’s true,” Theron said slowly. “When Odysseus was trapped by a cyclops, he escaped by putting him to sleep and driving a stake through his eye. We’ve already accomplished the sleep part.”
“Exactly,” I said. “Plus, look at the size of him. He won’t notice a human climbing his arm, any more than we’d wake up if an ant crawled on us. We got lucky. This is our chance to grab the key and run.”
“I don’t know.” Nitsa kept flicking toward the direction of the cave. “We’re only guessing—praying—he won’t notice. Whatif he does? The three”—she glanced—“and a half of us can’t face him by ourselves. We need everyone.”
Theron shook his head. “Daciana and Ionna need to focus on Tycho. Besides, numbers won’t make any difference against a cyclops. There’s a reason Odysseus had to put the creature asleep to win. Awake, we don’t stand a chance. Nothing and no one do.”
“That’s just more reason that I...” I shoved it out. “I have to go in there alone.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“You guys are the best. Seriously, the absolute best friends anyone could ask for, but you didn’t sign up for extinct, man-eating giants. I’ll go in alone,” I said again, convincing myself more than them. “It’ll be safer that way. The three and a half of us clomping around in the cave will only wake him up.”
