It shouldn't bother Danny, but it does. Medusa couldn't do anything to him, he was immortal. But he had a company, two demigods and satyr.

"Should I say, don't look at her?" He asked.

"Run!" Grover bleated. He raced across the gravel, yelling, "Maia!" to kick-start his flying sneakers. Annabeth whipped her Yankees cap onto her head and vanished, pushing Percy off the bench. Danny became invisible at the moment everyone heard Medusa's shriek. All her pretending act was gone and the hissing snakes were wriggling on her head freely.

"Ya know," everyone heard a disembodied voice, "I've faced a talking weed tall as skyscraper, have a hyperactive Hellhound as my puppy and I have Spirit of Halloween as my buddy, but you are the first snake person I've met"

Danny dropped his invisibility on her left, grinning from ear to ear. Medusa attacked him, trying to tear him to shreds with her sharp talons, but Phantom dissapeared from sight again, his laughter filling the air.

"C'mon now, you can do better than that"

Behind her, Medusa heard a buzzing sound, like a two-hundred-pound hummingbird in a nosedive.

She turned, and there he was in the night sky, flying in from twelve o'clock with his winged shoes fluttering, Grover, holding a tree branch the size of a baseball bat. His eyes were shut tight, his head twitched from side to side. He was navigating by ears and nose alone.

Thwack!

It was the sound of Grover hitting a tree. Then Medusa roared with rage.

"You miserable satyr," she snarled. "I'll add you to my collection!"

"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover yelled back.

Suddenly Medusa was knocked by the side.

"Hey, attention, please!" Danny shouted and materialized again, looking at her through the mirror he found who knows where, "Woow, you have a very unruly hair, what are you doing with them? Feed with mouses?"

"You will stay here for eternity, you brat!" She tried to get him again.

"Clishe much?"

Percy advanced on her, which wasn't easy, holding a sword and a glass ball. If she charged, he'd have a hard time defending myself.

But she let him approach...twenty feet, ten feet.

Percy could see the reflection of her face now.

"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy," she crooned, "I know you wouldn't"

He hesitated, fascinated by the face he saw reflected in the glass.

From the cement grizzly, Grover moaned, "Percy, don't listen to her!"

Medusa cackled, "Too late"

She lunged at Percy with her talons.

He slashed up with his sword, heard a sickening sound, then a hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern - the sound of a monster disintegrating.

Something fell to the ground next to his feet. It took all his willpower not to look. Percy could feel warm ooze soaking into his sock, little dying snake heads tugging at his shoelaces.

"Don't move!" Danny said. He came closer, holding Medusa's veil. He knelt and draped the monster's head in black cloth, then picked it up. It was still dripping green blood.

"Are you okay?" He asked Percy.

"Yeah," he decided, though he felt like throwing up his double cheeseburger, "Why didn't ... why didn't the head evaporate?"

"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war," Danny said, "Like Minotaur horn. Don't look into her eyes, though, they still can turn you into garden decoration"

Danny walked to the dining area, where he found a few black grocery bags and wrapped them around it. Plopping the head on the table they had dinner, Phantom went to get his daughter. Surprisingly, she was still sleeping, and Danny couldn't help but smile at the sight. He gently picked her up in his hands and returned to the others.

"You're impossible," Percy said.

"You're insufferable," Annabeth responded.

"You're..."

"Hey, lovebirds, cut the act!" Danny snapped quietly, "let at least someone sleep!" Their faces reddened.

"I'll be back," Percy said after some time, getting up.

"Percy," Annabeth called after him, "What are you..."

Percy looked at the back of the warehouse, until he found Medusa's office. There, after some time of searching, he found an account book, which consisted an information about six shipments for Hades and Percephon's garden. And, oh surprise, the Underworld's billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California. Percy folded up the bill and stuffed it in his pocket.

In the cash register he found twenty dollars, a few golden drachmas, and some packing slips for Hermes Overnight Express, each with a little leather bag attached for coins. Percy rummaged around the rest of the office until he found the right-size box.

Percy went back to the picnic table, packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip:

The Gods

Mount Olympus

600th Floor,

Empire StateBuilding

New York, NY

With best wishes,

PERCY JACKSON

"They're not going to like that," Grover warned, "They'll think you're impertinent"

"Oh, keep quiet, Goatman, I think that's awesome," Danny grinned.

Percy poured some golden drachmas in the pouch. As soon as he closed it, there was a sound of cash register. The package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop.

"I am impertinent," Percy said.

"Come on," Annabeth muttered, "We need a new plan"

-Laater-

It was an uncomfortable night. Maybe because they slept in the woods. Maybe because the area they slept in was the dirtiest place on the planet. A marshy clearing that local kids had obviously been using for parties. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers.

They'd taken some food and blankets from Aunty Em's, but they didn't dare light a fire to dry their damp clothes. The Furies and Medusa were exciting enough for one day, they didn't want to take the chances.

They decided to sleep in shifts, and Percy volunteered to be the first. Danny didn't complain and fell asleep the second he lied on the ground. It didn't last for long, though. Somewhere in the middle of the night, he felt something shaking his shoulder. Rubbing his eyes, Danny looked up and saw scared Ellie.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" He asked.

"Nightmare," she mumbled. Danny smiled softly, gesturing with his head for her to lie closer. Ellie smiled and snuggled closer.

"Daddy," Danny looked at her, "can you tell me a story? Pretty please"

"Hm," he started to think, his sleepy mind not making it easier, "How about I tell you how I met Princess Dora and saved her kingdom?" Ellie nodded, clearly interested.

"Very well. There is an ancient kingdom, called Aragon. It was named after its tyrannical ruler - Prince Aragon. He managed to make his country stay in one age, called Dark Times. Everyone was too afraid to do something against him, because he had a magical necklace. This necklace granted him a big power, and could turn him into horrible dragon..."

"What was he like?" Ellie asked sleepily with closed eyes.

"He was huge, the size of two story house. His scales were black as the night sky, he had green horns on his head and his eyes were red. I've met Dora before meeting him, but it was briefly, for a few moments. But one day, I became interested. After some searching, I found some information about Aragon. I decided that it should not be like that and went to help the people living there. It was a gloomy place, where only Aragon himself lived happily"

"I didn't go to fight with him directly. At first I tried to steal his necklace, but I wasn't able to, since he never took it off. But...there was another necklace. His sister Dora had the same one, but she feared her brother too much to do anything. But I told her that she is not weaker than Aragon. Together, we fought against him, when he was in his dragon form. You have never seen hers, right? She has blue scales and green eyes"

"The fight was long and exhausting. But in the end I managed to take his necklace off, turning Aragon back to...well, normal appearance," Danny chuckled, "after that, Dora became the ruler, and their kingdom is slowly catching up with time. She even made me a knight. 'Sir Phantom', they called me. The End," Danny looked at Ellie and saw that she was already sound asleep. He drifted to dreamland soon later.

-Laterr-

Danny woke up earlier than others, his shift was a few hours ago. Grover was nowhere in sight, must have gone exploring. He was hungry, so he helped himself some Doritos. Ellie got up and joined her father at eating tasty snacks, after declaring it was the best breakfast she had. Percy was the last one, and by the looks of it, he had a nightmare. Danny decided to wake him. Phantom shook Percy, and his eyes opened slowly.

"Wakey, wakey, sleeping beauty!" Percy was still trembling from his nightmare.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Long enough," Danny tossed him a bag of chips, "breakfast is ready. Hey look, Goatman found a friend"

Grover was sitting cross-legged on a blanket with something pink and fluffy on his lap. It was...a pink toddle.

The poodle yapped at Percy suspiciously. Grover said, "No, he's not"

Percy blinked. "Are you ... talking to that thing?"

The poodle growled.

"I don't think...are you a boy or a girl?" The poddle barked and Grover told that it was a boy, "okay then, I don't think he likes being called a thing"

"He is our ticket west," Grover added, "Be nice to him"

"You can talk to animals?"

Grover ignored the question, "Guys meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Danny and Percy"

"Hello, Gladiola," Danny said and shaking paw with serious expression on his face, but everyone could see that he tried not to burst out laughing, "wait, you are a boy and have a girl's name?" Gladiola barked sadly.

Grover explained that he'd come across Gladiola in the woods and they'd struck up a conversation. The poodle had run away from a rich local family, who'd posted a $200 reward for his return. Gladiola didn't really want to go back to his family, but he was willing to if it meant helping Grover.

"Can I hold him? Can I, can I?" Ellie asked. She could hold a poddle.

Percy stared at Annabeth, figuring she'd crack up at this practical joke they were playing on him, but she looked deadly serious.

"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," Percy said, "Forget it"

"Percy," Annabeth said, "I said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle"

The poodle growled.

Percy said hello to the poodle.

"How does Gladiola know about the reward?" Danny asked.

"He read the signs," Grover said, "Duh"

"Of course," Danny said sarcastically, "how could I forget?"

"So we turn in Gladiola," Annabeth explained in her best strategy voice, "we get money, and we buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple"

"Not another bus," Percy said warily.

"No," Annabeth agreed.

She pointed downhill, toward train tracks "There's an Amtrak station half a mile that way. According to Gladiola, the westbound train leaves at noon"

A.N. A bit short, but you were waiting long enough.