Whoops I forgot to update. XD
Sorry guys, I've been busy with school + drawing things. The updates may become more staggered. Hope that's all good.
Thanks for reading as always!
We got to the front of the building. A woman answered the door. She looked Middle-Eastern, with a long, black gown, covering everything but her manicured hands. Her head was covered in a veil. I had a feeling she could've been a beautiful woman once, but now, she was an elderly grandmother.
"Children, it is late to be out all alone," she said. Her accent was Middle-Eastern, too. "Where are your parents?"
"Not here," Luke said. Looks like he'd decided to play the 'lost and helpless' card. "They… they left us. We don't… have parents."
"You do not?" the woman asked.
"No," Luke shook his head, his voice full of melancholy. "We've been… running around by ourselves for ages, escaping the evil authorities. We… we smelled the food here and…"
"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.
"The evil authorities," I muttered to Luke. "You've got to be kidding."
"Hey, you can't say you love the authorities," Luke said. "We've had problems with them before, remember?"
"I don't want to remember." I muttered. I really didn't. When we were on the run, we'd had a few close calls. Luke was a good thief, but that didn't stop him from occasionally slipping up.
We walked past even more statues. They were all life-sized, which explained why Aunty Em had such a huge warehouse. I wondered what she was doing with all these statues. Was she a collector? I didn't stay on the thought for long. The smell of burgers was way too distracting.
You may think it was dumb for us all to just walk into some stranger's place, but I could defend myself if I had to. No old lady could take me on. And plus, my will crumbles around burgers. They're just… so good. I didn't even notice Annabeth's worried expression.
I almost ran to the dining area, drawn in by the amazing smell. At the back there was a fast-food counter, a soft drink machine… and plenty of picnic tables.
"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.
"Oh yeah." I said, pulling out a seat for myself. My friends sat next to me.
"We… don't have any money, ma'am." Annabeth said, slightly wistful. Both Luke and I glared at her.
"No, no, children. No money," Aunty Em said. "This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."
"Thank you, ma'am." Luke said. He was always the courteous one.
"Quite alright, Luke," Aunty Em said. "But do consider your choices carefully."
Aunty Em disappeared behind the snack counter.
"She…" Annabeth frowned. "How did she know Luke's name?"
"She did?" I asked, in some kind of daze. My brain kept focusing on a double cheeseburger with a load of fries, a huge, vanilla shake on the side...
"She… did, didn't she?" Luke asked. "And… she told me to consider my choices…"
I frowned, blinking. I was so hungry, but at the same time, my suspicions were aroused. I had to fight it.
"Not a coincidence," I forced. I shook my head, wiping my eyes. "No. There's something wrong with her."
Luke tilted his head. He flicked his wrist, wielding his sword. "Then let's get ready."
Aunty Em came around, wielding a tray full of junk food. My legs felt like they were going to buckle. It took all my strength not to succumb to the sweet scent of a double cheeseburger.
"Children, what is the meaning of this?" Aunty Em asked. "Why are you wielding those weapons?"
"You know why," I growled. "You're not really human, are you?"
I bet Aunty Em would've put a hand over her heart if she wasn't holding a tray.
"How could you say such a thing?" she asked. "After I have offered you somewhere warm and provided you food?"
I felt my resistance shatter a little, but I stood still.
"Because…" Annabeth stepped forward, with bravery I admired but also cursed. "You're Medusa!"
We all stood there in silence, for a few moments. Then I felt angry with myself. Why didn't I figure it out sooner? We were used to fighting monsters.
And I'd been lured in. Gods, I wanted to punch something.
Aunty Em began to laugh. It was a typical evil laugh you'd see from a Disney character.
"Oh, children," she hissed. Just like the snakes on her head. "You really are fools."
She removed her veil.
"Look away!" Luke yelled. Annabeth and I obeyed. I heard the sound of hissing snakes. I already knew how hideous Medusa would be. Her face was on my shield, Aegis. I can't describe how she looks. She's uglier than anything you've ever seen. So ugly I can't put it into words. The best I can say is her head is covered in snakes, and her hands have long, sharp talons.
"It would be a shame to kill such a handsome young man," Medusa said. I peeked out of the corner of my eye. I saw the back Medusa approaching Luke. He wasn't looking at her, even though she sounded like a sympathetic old grandmother. "The gray-eyed one did this to me, Luke. Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."
"Luke!" I yelled. "Don't listen to her!"
I ran over to the monster, my spear in hand.
"Silence!" Medusa yelled, turning around. I covered my eyes, holding up Aegis. Medusa roared.
"You dare wield that shield?" she screeched. "You have offended me greatly, daughter of Zeus. You will be second to die after Annabeth!"
"Get away from Luke!" I yelled, charging towards her. I stared at her feet, not letting my eyes drift to her face. Medusa jumped out of the way, her snakes hissing.
"You really want to be a pawn of the Olympians, Thalia?" she asked. "Do you understand what will happen if you continue on this foolish quest? Hades will kill you. Your friends will fall. It will be a kinder fate to stay as a statue forever. Less pain."
I felt electricity raging through me. It made my spear glow.
"I'd rather die than be a statue forever," I growled. "At least I can say I tried!"
"Thalia!" Annabeth yelled, in fright.
I hoisted my spear towards Medusa. She screamed, and went flying into some statues. Bits and pieces of them cracked and fell apart. My heart jumped to my throat. Those had been living people. I tried not to feel sick.
"Go Thalia!" Annabeth cheered. Luke, who was hovering using his shoes, gave me a thumbs up. He was holding a piece of broken statue, which he threw onto Medusa. She cried out. However, she got up quickly, and immediately turned to Annabeth.
"Go, Thals," Luke said, grabbing my shoulder. "Kill her. I'll keep Annabeth out of harm's way."
I nodded. I pulled out the invisibility cap Annabeth gave me and slipped it on. You might be wondering why I'd chosen to kill Medusa, instead of just focusing on leaving. Well, if we'd let her live, who knew how many people she could've killed? I wouldn't be able to sit with it.
I crawled back, waiting for Medusa to stand up. She was still focused on Annabeth. No way in Hades was I going to let her hurt Annabeth. I sneaked towards her, gazing at her midriff. I tightened my grip on my spear. Then, I leaped up in the air, and struck, right at the neck.
Medusa let out a roar, and I heard a shlock, like something was being cut open. I covered my face, feeling something thicker than rain cover me. A wet and round object rolled next to my shoes, and I felt tiny, dying snakes pecking my ankles. I wanted to throw up even more, but I kept it down.
"Gross," Luke said, taking his arm off Annabeth. "You did a good job, Thalia… though, really, you should have a long shower."
I looked at my sleeves. They were covered in a green muck that I did not want on my body.
"Right," I said, cringing. Luke kneeled next to me, and wrapped Medusa's head in her black clothing. It was a spoil of war, so it didn't disintegrate like monsters usually do.
"Don't look at it," Annabeth said.
"I know," I replied, wiping my forehead. I had a feeling my black eyeliner had come off, too. "It can still petrify us."
After walking around for a bit, we found some plastic grocery bags and wrapped up Medusa's head. Twice. We put it in another bag, then collapsed at one of the picnic tables. Well, Luke didn't. He brought over the junk food Medusa had made, but never gave us.
"Seriously?" I asked him. "You think I want to eat, after doing that?"
I jerked my head towards the plastic-covered, severed head of Medusa.
"You were going on about it, Thals," Luke said, but not unkindly. "We're not in danger anymore, anyway. Why should we let this food go to waste?"
"Point to you." I grumbled.
I was sort of hesitant at first, but as soon as I bit into the burger, I had downed the whole thing in almost two seconds. I grabbed the greasy fries in one hand. They had gone a little cold, but I didn't care. Annabeth slurped her vanilla milkshake, while Luke was still on his burger.
"Hey, Annabeth," I said, after having some of my own milkshake. "How did you figure out who she was so quickly? Pretty sure Luke and I didn't have a clue."
Annabeth looked away, for a moment. "Well… um, I was already suspicious that… that we were being drawn in by the smell, and then I saw all the statues. I also heard snakes hissing."
"Smart," Luke said. "I mean, even for you, that's really smart, Annabeth."
"Yeah." Annabeth said. Her tone went on edge, like it was uncomfortable to talk about. "So… what are we going to do with the head?"
I frowned. "Burn it?"
Luke sat up, with his trademark mischievous smirk that made my heart flutter. "I've got an idea. Give me a sec."
He got up, and ran off. He had some fries leftover, so I pinched one.
"What do you think he's got in mind?" Annabeth asked.
"No idea," I shrugged. "But it'll be funny."
Annabeth snorted. She hadn't eaten as much as Luke and I. She looked a little pale, now that I thought about it.
"Hey," I asked. "You okay?"
Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just… shaken up. Medusa was crazy. She really wanted to kill me."
I thought about what Medusa said. You really want to be a pawn of the Olympians, Thalia?
I could see some merit in what she said. The gods were the reason monsters hated our guts. Medusa hated Annabeth because she was Athena's child, and Athena was the one that made Medusa what she was - a monster.
But I wasn't anyone's pawn. I was doing what needed to be done.
"I wouldn't have let her," I told Annabeth. "Trust me, Annie. I'm not going to let anything else hurt you."
Annabeth smiled gratefully, but I saw a flash of fear in her eyes.
Luke came back, carrying a package box, a small, leather bag over his shoulder, which jingled as it bounced against his hip, and a delivery slip in one hand.
"What's all this?" I asked.
Luke winked. "You'll see."
He picked up Medusa's plastic-wrapped head and put it in the package. He filled out the message slip with sloppy handwriting, then attached it to the side of the box. I read it; it was addressed to the gods. He put some golden drachmas into a small pouch connected to the box. The package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop!
"Wow," I said, raising my brow. "Risky, Luke. Thought you liked the gods now."
Luke gave me a mischievous smile, but his downcast eyes betrayed the image. "Not completely. I may not… be a part of you know what anymore, but that doesn't mean I love the gods."
"What are you talking about?" Annabeth asked, glancing at the spot where the package had been. She didn't look interested, oddly.
"Nothing," Luke said quickly. "Anyway, I found some old couches at the back. They're not top quality beds, but I think you'd rather stay on them than in the mud."
I turned to Annabeth. She nodded.
"Fine," I said. "As long as they have some blankets."
"I found some," Luke said. "Not the best blankets in the world, but it'll do. We've dealt with worse."
So we followed Luke to the couches. I kept glancing at him. He looked attractive as always, but I felt a bit… guilty. I leaned a bit closer to him, and kept my voice down so only he could hear.
"Hey," I said. "Sorry. About exploding the bus before."
Luke sighed. "Don't worry about it, Thals. It happened. Let's just move on."
"You'd think I'd be better at this quest stuff," I said, shaking my head. "I guess being in one place for a few months really messed me over." Part of me wished we were normal mortals. Then we would be safe at a house, sleeping, eating, or doing homework… actually, I hate homework. I'd rather go on a quest.
Luke kissed me on the cheek. I felt like I was going to explode like Medusa did.
"I don't mean to be offensive, but you smell, like, really bad right now," Luke said.
I laughed. "I hoped you found a shower."
"I did," Luke said. He waved his hands around. "It's called: a garden hose."
I scowled. "Great."
"Right this way," Luke said, like I was going to some luxury bathroom. He raised his voice. "Hey, Annabeth, Thalia's getting a shower. I'll be right back!"
"Okay!" Annabeth nodded, running off to the old couches.
I followed Luke to the 'shower'. He turned on the garden hose, and splashed himself in the face. I burst out laughing. Luke turned the hose on me, and it became a war. We fought over the hose, both getting soaking wet.
"Stay down!" I yelled, ripping the hose out of his hands. Luke made a jump, and landed on top of me. The hose got crushed between us.
"So… cold…" Luke shivered, dripping wet. "But I'd put up with much worse for you, Thalia."
"Cheesy idiot," I said, kicking him off. My face was red, and what was left of my eyeliner was covering my cheeks like a black waterfall.
"Come on," Luke shook his head. "Annabeth will be waiting for us."
We headed back to Annabeth, holding hands. Being with Luke made me feel better. I really did love him.
