Third Person P.O.V

Gryffindor had won the House cup thanks to Dumbledore awarding the trio and Neville a "few last minute points". Hermione passed with excellent grades in all her exams . Now the trio was chatting endlessly while on their way back to platform 9 3/4 processing the eventful year they had.

Hermione P.O.V

"Well ... that was most certainly ...an interesting year"

"Blimey ! Harry , I still can't believe you took YOU-KNOW-WHO on and are alive" Ron said in between gulps of chocolate frogs . Gosh ! How thick headed can Ronald get ? Harry does not want the attention , thought Hermione . Seeing Harry squirm lightly and also noticing his awkwardness , Hermione decided to change the topic. hoping to ease him a bit .

"Any plans for the summer both of y'all? Harry can maybe go over to your place Ron" Hermione asks quickly . Harry quickly sends her a grateful smile and Hermione's heart was fluttering and she smiled back and sent a pointed look at Ron and shook her head disappointment and Harry giggled at this.

"No , Plans exactly this summer , Charlie may come to visit" Ron said after finishing his chocolate frogs .

" I will just have to be stuck with the Dursleys and put up with that annoying pig Dudley" Harry said sadly .

Hermione has mischievous glint in her eyes one that has appeared in her eyes a lot of times lately . She turns Harry to face her and places her hands on his shoulders and says smugly" They do not know you cannot use magic outside school do they Harry ?"

"Yeah ! I bet I will have loads of fun tormenting Dudley now " Harry says a sly grin spreading across his face.

Ron then adds " i will see if Harry can come to the Burrow during the break."

The train comes to a halt and Hermione shouts "We have reached guys . Lets go !"

The trio get off the train and exchange good byes and Ron goes off with the weasleys and Hermione gives Harry a quick hug and mutters bye . Mr and Mrs Granger exchange smiles on seeing the pair.

(Later at the Granger Residence)(Hermione P.O.V)

"Hestia ! Can we talk to you " Mum called out . My mum calls me my middle name Hestia because she thinks I am a lot like Hestia the Greek Goddess of the Hearth and like Hestia I bring peace and warmth and can keep a level head in most situations .My dad calls me Atalanta a greek heroine and huntress who was fierce and as good as men warriors . Atalanta means equal to men. I guess we all know why I am called this

"Coming , Mom " I yelled as I ran down and sat on the couch opposite my parents.

"Your father and I just wanted to go over our vacation plans" mum says

"We are going to the U.S.A right mom" I say tilting my head towards the unable to hide my excitement ."

"Thats right ! Your father and I have some work there. We will land in Washington by Saturday and we will rent a car and go to New Jersey where we will go camping and then we go to Manhattan and spend the rest of the holidays there"

"Great . I will start to pack " I say and I run up the stairs and I hear my mum yell Careful Hestia .

(Airport)

My parents seem awfully worried now and they look more uneasy than ever and I ask

"What is wrong mum?

"Nothing , Hestia "' but it does not seem like nothing .

When we are on the plane and it gets a good height , I can hear my mom mutter prayers to Poseidon . Suddenly , there is an awful lot of thunder and turbulence and I already hate flying and I clutch my mother's hand and squeeze it hard . My mother is too pre occupied . I later fall asleep amidst turbulence and I hear my mum yelling at dad

"I told you we should have gone by sea . Poseidon hears about this he will kill us ."

(Olympus at same time )

Poseidon watches all of this and gets upset and he is sick with worry at the sight of the plane. What in the world was Jean thinking? Zeus is already suspicious

Poseidon stands up in the throne room and growls at Zeus "Have you not done enough damage brother ? Another plane let it go"

Zeus retorts "I can do whatever I want . In case you forgot ."

Poseidon then summoned his trident "Pity ! You seem in no position to make threats without your bolt and all."

Zeus Growls angrily but Poseidon looks at him evenly and meets his gaze .

Zeus after another threat from the stormbringer lets it go .

(Plane)

Suddenly the turbulence stops and mum starts thanking Poseidon and dad looks pissed but relieved too.

After what seemed like hours We land in Washington and then we go to a nearby car rental store and rent a Jeep . We then scramble in and start driving to New Jersey

"Hestia , how was D.C ? Did You like it ? "

I nod a yes because my mouth is full of cheese burger . London restaurants seriously need to try this .

TIME SKIP -

We reach this beautiful camping site in New Jersey and I help my father set up the tents and then ask him with the cutest puppy eyes

"Dad , Can I go explore a bit ? I will be careful , I promise ."

My dad gives in "Okay , Atalanta , can not say no to those eyes . But do not go too far and remember"

"Anything , wrong scream for help and run" I say as I run off . I suddenly spot a river and see a shocking sight . I see my mother and she looks mystical ...

I then rub my eyes and look but this time she looks normal in her white outfit with jeans .

She says "Hestia , I thought you were going exploring?"

I then smile and sprint across and explore the beautiful woods till I see three- no two children my age - one boy , one girl and a half -boy , half - goat. This was a wierd sight and curiosity got the better of me and I walked upto them and they were standing In front of Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium . Talk about wierd . I was famished . I must have been walking for hours and I smelled tempting cheese burgers . I walk up to them and we just exchanged introductions and they said I had the sight and I told them I was a witch and they told me Grover was a satyr.

Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of us was a tall Middle Eastern woman-at least, I assumed she was Middle Eastern, because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze, but that was about all I could make out. Her coffee-colored hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant, so I imagined she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady.
Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"
"They're ... um ..." Annabeth started to say.
"We're orphans," I said and Percy said together.
"Orphans?" the woman said.

"But, my dears! Surely not!"

"We got separated from our caravan," Percy said.

"Our circus caravan. The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?" I quickly play along because of my stomach.

"Oh, my dears," the woman said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."
We thanked her and went inside.
Annabeth muttered to me and Percy, "Circus caravan?"
"Always have a strategy, right?" Percy asked
"Your head is full of kelp." at this I giggled
The warehouse was filled with more statues-people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. I was thinking you'd have to have a pretty huge garden to fit even one of these statues, because they were all life-size. But mostly, I was thinking about food.
Go ahead, call me an idiot for walking into a strange lady's shop like that just because I was hungry, but I do impulsive stuff sometimes. Plus, you've never smelled Aunty Em's burgers. The aroma was like laughing gas in the dentist's chair-it made everything else go away. I barely noticed Grover's nervous whimpers, or the way the statues' eyes seemed to follow me, or the fact that Aunty Em had locked the door behind us.
All I cared about was finding the dining area. And sure enough, there it was at the back of the warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Everything you could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front.
"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.
"Awesome," Percy and I said together again , like twins do in the movies and then we look at each other.
"Um," Grover said reluctantly, "we don't have any money, ma'am." Oh ! Where is your purse when you need one ?
Aunty Em said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."
"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said.
Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done something wrong, but then the old woman relaxed just as quickly, so I figured it must've been my imagination.
"Quite all right, Annabeth," she said. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, child."

Only later did I wonder how she knew Annabeth's name, even though we had never introduced ourselves.

Our hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before we knew it, she'd brought us plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries.
I was halfway through my burger before I remembered to breathe.
Annabeth slurped her shake.
Grover picked at the fries, and eyed the tray's waxed paper liner as if he might go for that, but he still looked too nervous to eat.
"What's that hissing noise?" he asked.
I listened, but didn't hear anything. Annabeth shook her head.
"Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover."
"I take vitamins. For my ears."
"That's admirable," she said. "But please, relax."
Aunty Em ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched us eat. It was a little unsettling, having someone stare at me when I couldn't see her face, but I was feeling satisfied after the burger, and a little sleepy, and I figured the least I could do was try to make small talk with our hostess.
"So, you sell gnomes," I said, trying to sound interested.
"Oh, yes," Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know."
"A lot of business on this road?" Percy asked
"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get."
My neck tingled, as if somebody else was looking at me. I turned, but it was just a statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket. The detail was incredible, much better than you see in most garden statues. But something was wrong with her face. It looked as if she were startled, or even terrified some might say.
"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."
"You make these statues yourself?" I asked.
"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company." The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that I couldn't help feeling sorry for her.
Annabeth had stopped eating. She sat forward and said, "Two sisters?"
"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a... a boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price."
I wasn't sure what she meant, but I felt bad for her. My eyes welling up. Poor old lady. Who would want to hurt somebody so nice?
"Percy? Hermione ?" Annabeth was shaking him to get his attention. "Maybe we should go. I mean, the ringmaster will be waiting."
She sounded tense. I wasn't sure why. Grover was eating the waxed paper off the tray now, but if Aunty Em found that strange, she didn't say anything.
"Such beautiful gray eyes," Aunty Em told Annabeth again. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray eyes like those."
She reached out as if to stroke Annabeth's cheek, but Annabeth stood up abruptly.
"We really should go."
"Yes!" Grover swallowed his waxed paper and stood up. "The ringmaster is waiting! Right!"
I didn't want to leave. I felt full and content. Aunty Em was so nice. I wanted to stay with her a while.
"Please, dears," Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."
Annabeth shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Percy-"

"Yeah . Maybe we should leave Percy" I did not like strangers taking pictures of me.

"Sure we can stay" Percy said."It's just a photo, Annabeth , Hermione. What's the harm?"
"Yes, Annabeth," the woman purred. "No harm."
I could tell Annabeth didn't like it, but she allowed Aunty Em to lead us back out the front door, into the garden of statues.
Aunty Em directed us to a park bench next to the stone satyr. "Now," she said, "I'll just position you correctly. The two young girls in the middle, I think, and the two young gentlemen on either side."
"Not much light for a photo," I remarked wanting to get away from this creepy woman . All the affection I felt for this woman vanished .
"Oh, enough," Aunty Em said. "Enough for us to see each other, yes?"
"Where's your camera?" Grover asked.
Aunty Em stepped back, as if to admire us . I hate it when people do that. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"
Grover glanced at the cement satyr next to him, and mumbled, "That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand."
"Grover," Aunty Em chastised, "look this way, dear."
She still had no camera in her hands.
"Percy-" Annabeth said.
Some instinct and a female voice warned me to listen to Annabeth, and run for my life .
"I will just be a moment," Aunty Em said. "You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil..."
"Percy, something's wrong," Annabeth insisted.

"Yeah something is wrong Percy. We should leave now ."

"Wrong?" Aunty Em said, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head. "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"
"That is Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover gasped.
"Look away from her!" Annabeth shouted. She whipped her Yankees cap onto her head and vanished. Her invisible hands just like Harrys pushed Grover and me and Percy off the bench.
I was on the ground, looking at Aunt Em's sandaled feet.
I could hear Grover scrambling off in one direction, Annabeth in another.
Then I heard a strange, rasping sound above me. My eyes rose to Aunty Em's hands, which had turned gnarled and warty, with sharp bronze talons for fingernails.
I almost looked higher, but somewhere off to my left Annabeth screamed, "No! Don't!"
More rasping-the sound of tiny snakes, right above me, from ... from about where Aunty Em's head would be.

"Run!" Grover bleated. I heard him racing across the gravel, yelling, "Maia!" .

I couldn't move. I watched as she moved towards Percy.
"Such a pity to destroy a handsome young face," she told him soothingly. "Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look up."
He fought the urge to obey.I then spotted one of those glass spheres - a gazing ball. I could see Aunty Em's dark reflection in the orange glass; her headdress was gone, revealing her face as a shimmering pale circle. Her hair was moving, writhing like serpents.
Aunty Em.
Aunty "M." Medusa .
How could I have been so stupid? Percy why could you just not have listened to me and Annabeth?
Think, I told myself. How did Medusa die in the myth?
But I couldn't think. Something told me that in the myth Medusa had been asleep when she was attacked by Perseus. She wasn't anywhere near asleep now. If she wanted, she could take those talons right now and rake open my face.