Greek Gods. No offense but they make more problems than we already have. In other words, it's great to know that there are some things like Greek Gods. You can at least put the blame on someone and know that some divine guy or lady is trying to spoil your "amazing'' day.

And here we all are, walking along the New Jersey Riverbank. Me, Runo, Marucho, Shun and Alice.

I was still shaken by the event. The bus's rattling windows were echoing in my ears. The Blast of lightning, the thunder... Uhhhh

Alice kept saying: "The sooner we get away, the better."

Marucho was half braying, half chattering and moaning about the tin cans in his bags being the best ones.

Shun and Alice were arguing. It was unusual, but both of them were rambling on and on in Ancient Greek and I inched away from them so as to not probe. (Ha! My word of the day is probe!)

Runo fell in line next to me. She fixed me with one beady eye. I just wished I had some cotton to stuff into my ears... Gods of Olympus... Save me...

"What were you thinking, taking the Steering wheel from the driver?" She asked me crossly. "You could've killed someone!"

"Hey! Not my fault. It's either that or getting blown up." I protested.

"See, I appreciate you coming back for us and all..." She shook her head. "But then the mortals, you could've killed them. And us. Do this when you get a driving license. After seeing your driving, I wonder if you'll even get one."

I started complaining.

And we were in a massive argument about should I have done what I had done or not.

"Yes!" I said.

"No!" She said.

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Ye-"

"Shut up!" Marucho said through his chattering teeth.

"We don't want any more attention, you two. Quit it." Shun said, shaking his head.

"You're one to talk, arguing with Alice!" I protested.

Both, Shun and Alice's cheeks turned slightly pink.

"We- we weren't a-arguing..." Alice said in an almost whisper.

"No." Shun agreed.

Marucho wasn't listening. He was braying like an idiot, still shaken by the turn of events.

"All three Kindly Ones... All at once... My tin cans..." He kept saying.

"ARE YOUR TIN CANS ALL YOU CARE ABOUT?!" Runo voiced the thoughts in our heads.

"No!" Marucho protested. "My apples too!"

"Listen up, buddy, I'll give you one advice: Shut up." Runo threatened. "Or I'll throw you to the next monster we see."

Marucho knew better than to argue and kept quiet.

"Did you notice something?" Runo asked me.

"What? Our bags missing?" I asked.

"No. In the bus. The Kindly Ones were hissing and asking: 'Where is it?' " She said. "Not 'where is he?' But 'where is it?' I think they were talking about an-"

But in that precise moment, a sound like some old owl being tortured filled the silence.

Marucho was testing his reed pipes.

"Yes!" He said joyfully. "My reed pipes work! Maybe I can do the 'Find A Path' song."

Marucho played some notes on using reed pipes.

But instead of finding paths, we all found more obstacles in our way. Trees, roots to trip you, you name it.

"Ok... Cut it out, Marucho." Shun advised.

"You're making it worse." Alice said apologetically.

"Aw, but fine... I wanted to play it..." Marucho mumbled.

"Play it when we're dead." I said.

"It's a nice funeral song." Runo agreed.

"Geez, you're all so mean!" Marucho sniffled.

After each one of us tripping and cursing (even Alice cursed, mind you) as we travelled another mile, we smelt food. Fried, greasy awesomely delicious food. No sooner, we saw some neon signs. I was sure it was a fast food restaurant or something.

We walked faster with the smell of the delicious food in our noses. Soon, we reached the place and our hopes fell.

But it wasn't, it was sort of like those place where they sell statues. Like a... What were they called again...? Ok fine, I don't know. Right! A statuary!

The place's name was written in orange and green neon colors. It was a murder to my dyslexic self. And the cursive writing made it worse.

It was something like this: ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROUIM

Okay. I admit it isn't like that. I was seeing the place's name in a different way. But that was the best way I could put it in. And mind you, I'm generous.

"Whoever can read this, please do the honors." I decided.

"Speak for yourself." Runo decided.

Her tone made it clear that she hated not knowing what it said. She hated not knowing the tiniest of things as she said it could be a matter of life and death. Maybe it could be, but don't tell her that I agree with her!

"Er, Marucho?" Alice chimed. "Can you-"

"It says: Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium" Marucho translated.

"It sounds weird." Shun decided.

As said, the place was flanked with a lot of statues. And when I say a lot, it means a lot. (Ok fine, maybe that's clichéd, but still!)

There were people, animals everything.

In the entrance, two clown like people we showing us in with their arms spread. They were smiling. For some reason, it looked as though they were posing for a picture. Maybe whoever made them took the picture of the real people and made it into statues... But that isn't why I'm here.. I'm hungry.

"The lights are on." Alice noted.

"It could be a snack bar." Shun suggested and me and Runo whole heartedly agreed.

"Are you g-guys mad?" Marucho bleated. "This place is- is- giv-giving me th-the Cree-creeps!"

We ignored him.

As we went forward, we saw more statues. We even saw a statue of a satyr, which gave Marucho even more creeps.

"Bla-ha-ha-ha!" He squeaked. "That looks like my uncle.. What was his name again...?"

Alice looked revolted. "You don't remember your own uncle's name?"

"I remember! His name was... Fine... I forgot..." Marucho said.

Shun gave a snort.

Marucho shot him a look. "What?!" He demanded.

"Who would have thought... a genius forgetting something..." I heard Shun mutter.

We kept walking and reached the warehouse's door.

Marucho was trembling, "No..." He advised. "Don't knock... I smell monsters!"

"Your nose may be clogged because of the attack from the Kindly Ones." Runo decided. "All I can smell is food. You're hungry, aren't you?"

"But that's meat! I'm a vegetarian!" Marucho protested.

"You eat cheese enchiladas." Alice reminded him.

"And tin cans." Shun added.

"Those are vegetables." Marucho said, sounding exasperated. "Those statues are creepy and this place is weird."

"All kinds of places like this are weird!" I said to Marucho.

Wrong timing. The warehouse door opened. And there stood a lady I'd never seen before. (Of course I've never seen her before.)

Opps. I just hope she didn't hear me.

I turned.

The lady had blond hair and pink eyes. She was wearing a blue-almost-black gown.

She sneered down on us.

"Who are you blithering kids?!" She shouted. "What are you doing here?! Stealing the statues?! Oh no, I won't have that-"

"We're not stealing your statues!" Runo cut across her. "We just thought that-"

"That you can come and see the statues to replicate them?!" The woman said.

"But I-"

"We're hungry!" I said.

"So?!"

"What he means is we were wondering if you can let us in and-" Shun started.

"Oh no, I won't! I don't want-"

"We just want something to eat. We'll be going on our way when we're done." Alice pleaded.

The woman thought about it. For a moment, I thought there was something like triumph in her eyes, but she wiped it off quickly, and I thought it was my imagination.

"Kazarina?" A woman asked as she came, she had a Middle Eastern accent. "Who is there?"

That Middle Eastern accent lady had a black shawl wrapped around her head and black sunglasses. Which was weird, since it was night, but I thought that she might have some disease or something.

"Five kids." Kazarina said, and I thought I detected an evil-happy voice. "Alone."

"We're orphans." Shun said, sparing us the interrogations of 'five adolescent kids roaming around alone' explanation.

"Orphans?" The Middle Eastern woman asked. "Surely not."

"Our-our caravan!" Marucho squeaked up suddenly.

"Caravan?" Kazarina asked, eyeing us.

"What he means is our circus caravan. The ring master told us to meet up at the petrol bunk. But then I think he either forgot or maybe he meant a different one." I said. "Is that food that I smell?"

The Middle Eastern woman sympathized us. She told us to go into the dinning hall and wait for her to bring us something to eat.

"Caravan?!" Runo asked Marucho crossly after Kazarina and the other lady were out of earshot. "Master of strategies, aren't you?'

Marucho turned red with embarrassment. "Hey! I kind of stop working when I'm scared."

"Not helpful." Shun commented quietly. "You need to keep a cool head. Especially in situations like this."

Before Marucho could retort, the Middle Eastern woman came in with our food with Kazarina in tow.

Go on, call me a moron. Or an idiot. Or a fool. Take your pick. You all would be asking me from where did I get my sense of cautiousness from - eating from a complete stranger's place.

Kazarina set a tray of food in front of us. There were five double chicken burgers, chocolate shakes and French fries.

"Er... We don't have anything to pay you with, miss." Alice said apologetically, yet eyeing the food wistfully.

Kazarina looked ready to kick us out.

"No need for payment, My dears. This is for children after all." The Middle Eastern woman said kindly.

"Thank you, miss." Runo said, looking up at The Middle Eastern woman.

The Middle Eastern woman stiffened for a moment as if Runo had murdered someone or something.

"Quite all right, child," the lady said.

"If you don't mind, miss," Marucho said. "What can we call you?"

"Aunty Em. Or just Em."

We all attacked our food like hungry wolves. Literally.

When we were halfway through our burgers, I decided to fill in the empty silence.

"So, Er- you guys sell gnomes?" I asked.

"No. We sell birds." Kazarina said sarcastically. "Of course we sell gnomes!"

"Statuary is very popular amongst old folks these days, kids." Em explained. "But not much business ever since the highway was built."

"Oh."

"And is Kazarina your relative?" Shun prodded.

"Oh, no, an orphan actually. She was looking for a place to stay and I offered her my home. I had two extra rooms since my sisters passed away." Em said.

Runo stopped eating her burger and peered curiously at Em. "Your two sisters...?" She asked.

Em sighed. "You see, Runo, an evil woman cursed me and my sisters who helped me in reaching a destination… To, er- meet up with someone. Now they've both faded away... You have such beautiful eyes, my dear. It's been so long since I've seen intelligent eyes like yours."

Em let her elbows rest in the table and let her chin rest on her intertwined fingers as she watched Runo.

Runo looked slightly alarmed and unnerved. Shun's eyes narrowed suspiciously at Aunty Em and then shifted towards Kazarina.

Runo pulled my arm. "Dan, I think we should get out of here. I mean, the ringmaster could be waiting for us."

Em sighed wistfully. "Such beautiful and intelligent eyes…. Intelligent, yes…It's been a while now…."

Em reached out as if to pat Runo's cheek in a motherly fashion. But Runo stood up, her bangs covering her eyes.

"We should go." She said more firmly.

Shun and Alice also stood up.

"Yes, the ringmaster won't like it if we're late." Shun stated calmly.

He seemed to be slightly nervous as both, he and Alice were armless and had no shield or anything else.

Marucho was armless since the moment he got out of the camp. Well, if you don't count the tin cans and apples, that is.

Marucho also stood up.

"Let's go, guys!" He agreed ecstatically, chewing on a wax paper. Ew.

I stood up, defeated, ready to go with my friends, even though I wanted to stay here for a while.

Em also stood up.

Runo put a hand on her pocket and I knew that she was ready to get her dagger out to defend us all.

Em took no notice of this.

"Please, dears, stay for at least a picture," Em pleaded. "We rarely have children here to pose for us."

"A… picture?" Runo asked.

"A photograph. It won't take long, Now." Em promised.

"I don't think we can, Mam." Shun said calmly.

"We're sorry, but we really should get going now." Alice added.

Em looked at me, pleading.

I didn't know what to do. I mean, my friends were ready to go without doing a small favor to a woman who had just given us food for free.

"Alright, we'll do it." I said.

Everyone stared at me.

"Excellent!" Em said. "Go and get the camera, Kazarina!"

Kazarina smirked and left the room.

"But, Dan-" Runo protested, but I cut across her.

"It's just a photo, Runo, We just have to pose, alright?" I said.

"Yes, dears, no harm at all." Em said.

My friends didn't look like they liked it, but they agreed.

Aunty Em lead us out the front door while Kazarina stayed back.

We were in the garden of the statues. Aunty Em was positioning us for the picture.

"Marucho dear, I think you should be in between and Alice and Shun on one side and Dan and Runo on the other side…. A bit to the left dears… Yes, that's perfect." Aunty Em directed us.

There wasn't much light for a photo, but when Shun voiced it, Aunty Em said that all that mattered was us being able to see each other.

"Where's your camera?" Alice asked, spotting no camera in Aunty Em's hands.

"Alright, Now, dears, smile! Big and toothy if you please!" Aunty Em cooed.

Marucho glanced at the cement satyr behind him, as though still being reminded of his uncle.

Aunty Em then asked Marucho to look at the front even though she still didn't have a camera.

"Dan-" Runo tried, and something inside me was stirring, trying to get me to listen to Runo and get the hell out of here.

"I don't think I can see you all well through this veil, dears, just give me a moment." Aunty Em said as she started to unwrap her veil.

"That is my uncle!" Marucho exclaimed to us, pointing to the cement satyr.

Runo looked like that was all the confirmation she needed as she exchanged a glance with Alice, who grew pale.

"That's not right, dear, how could you possibly know-?" Aunty Em said as she started to pull the last of her veil down.

"Don't look at her!" Runo yelled at all of us as she put on her invisibility cap and shoved me to the ground and I had enough sense to listen to her.

Shun grabbed Alice's hand and the two of them jumped over the bench and ran behind a few statues at Runo's urges, Runo was far from me as well and Marucho was in the air with his flying sneakers, having yelled 'Maia!'

And me? I was still on the ground, looking at Aunty Em's feet.

I heard a raspy hissing voice above me and saw that Aunty Em's hands were now like a monster's. Gnarled and warty with bronze talons for fingernails.

I almost looked higher, but I heard Runo's voice in my head, promising that she would send me to Hades herself if I looked up even more.

Woah. Why am I imagining her in my head?

I looked to my side a bit and through the glass, I saw Aunty Em's reflection. Her hair… they were writhing like… serpents.

Aunty Em.

Aunty 'M'.

'M' for Medusa.

How could I have been so dumb?

I racked my brain to find out how Medusa died in the myths.

Some hero called Perseus beheaded her when she was asleep. Well, Medusa was no where near sleep right now.

I heard Medusa's earlier friendly voice speak to me. "Dan, you know who turned me to this from a beautiful form?"

She paused, as though waiting for me to answer.

"That accursed Athena, Runo Misaki's mother." Medusa continued. "Always the same intelligence in their eyes. Always."

I heard Runo tell me to get up and run away with my eyes tightly closed.

"Dan, snap out of it!" Shun yelled and I got a feeling that he'd come and get me himself, but he needed to protect Alice and both of them were weaponless. And it would be suicide to come and get me when I was this close to Medusa without being armed.

And Medusa would rip Runo to pieces because of Athena being her mother, so she couldn't even try.

"Stay here with me, Daniel." Medusa cooed. "You, me and Kazarina. We'll make others to statues and crush those of the spawns of Athena. Join me, Daniel. You need not be a pawn of the Olympians like many others were."

Before I could say anything, I heard Marucho yell, "Dan, duck!"

I turned and saw, Marucho diving down, a branch of a tree the size of a bat clutched tightly in his hands, angling to hit Medusa, his eyes tightly shut. I could tell that he was navigating through his ears and nose alone.

"Duck!" He yelled agin. "I'll keep her busy!"

I dove to one side and I heard a thwack!

"Take that!" Marucho yelled.

"You bloody goat!" Medusa yelled. "I'll make your statue stand right next to your uncle's!"

"That hit was for my uncle, by the way!" Marucho amended as he moved in for another hit and managed to hit Medusa again, judging by the amount of swear words I heard from Medusa.

I managed to scramble away and hide in the statuary.

Shun and Alice joined me and we were joined by Runo, who removed her invisibility cap.

"Finally!" Alice said. "We'd have come ourselves but we have no weapons." Alice looked grieved at that thought.

"Hey, it's alright, guys. It would be suicide to go near those talons without a weapon, I don't blame you guys." I said.

"I had a weapon, but it won't be good enough in front of Medusa. She'd slice me to bits because of-" Runo said.

"Your mother. Yeah, I get it." I said, nodding. "Well, what's the plan? Run?"

They all looked like they wanted to, just like I did, but we knew we couldn't run. And somehow, we understood.

"I suppose neither of us wants to let her live and continue turning people to statues." Alice said sadly, gesturing to a statue of a couple who were under a tree, cuddling and smiling at each other.

"Yeah. And we're not leaving Marucho." Runo said.

"So the plan is fight." I decided. "But how?"

Runo looked thoughtful.

"Hold on a second." Runo said as she removed a screw from a nearby pedestal and removed a green gazing ball from it.

She gave it to me as I stared at her, wondering what on earth this was about.

Shun nodded in understanding and Alice's eyes widened too.

"Look at her from this glass only, alright?" Runo lectured me. "Don't look at her directly. Marucho has got a good sense of smell, but I'm not sure it will last so long."

"Good luck." Alice said.

"Hey, guys?" Marucho called tentatively. "I think she's unconscious!"

We heard an angry roar.

"Maybe not…" Marucho said, laughing weakly.

I uncapped the pen and my sword grew. Drago looked as good as New despite sending two Furies to Tartarus.

I followed the hissing of the snakes to get to Medusa.

My eyes were locked on the green glass and then, I saw her reflection. She was beyond ugly.

Marucho dived for another hit, but he had swooped too low. Medusa grabbed his stick and swung, sending Marucho through the air and crash straight into the arms of a band singer.

"Leave him alone, you creep!" I yelled as Medusa was about to advance on Marucho and finish him off.

I moved closer. Twenty feet…. ten feet.

"You wouldn't harm me, would you, Daniel?" Medusa cooed.

"Dan!" Everyone's voice yelled and I saw she had lunged for me.

Without thinking, I swung my sword and instantly, I knew I had beheaded Medusa as I heard a gurgling and streaming sound, the sound of a monster disintegrating.

"That's gross!" Marucho said. "That is so gross!"

"Don't move." Runo said, as she came next me, Medusa's veil in her hands, her eyes fixed onto the sky. And as I absorbed her eyes, I saw what Medusa meant.

Her eyes were intelligent and beautiful- wait! No, I did not just say that! No.

Runo carefully bent and wrapped the head in the veil and picked it up.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Fine." I said.

"You guys can look now!" Runo said.

Shun and Alice came back from the statuary and Marucho got down from the band singer's arms and stood next to us.

Runo's eyes narrowed as she glanced at the place where we sat eating our burgers.

"Stay here." She told us, going in with the head and none of us dared disobey her. We'd take on a Medusa than an angry Runo any day. Okay, maybe I'm over exaggerating.

A few minutes later, Runo called us back in and when we went in, we saw Runo place Medusa's covered head in a box and saw a new statue inside. Of one Kazarina.

"What the- I forgot about Kazarina!" I said as I stared at the statue.

"I did too." Shun admitted.

Who wouldn't, after facing Medusa?

"I did too, actually, till I remembered after Dan killed Medusa." Runo admitted. "That's why I asked you guys to wait. She tried to attack, but I opened the veil for her and she became a statue."

Alice winced. "Did you have to turn her into a statue?"

Runo shrugged. "She's been enjoying here while helping Medusa luring innocent people to be turned into statues."

That made Kazarina's punishment worth it.

"Don't you just love Karma?" Marucho asked, laughing nervously as we settled down on the chairs.

"She's a half- I mean, she's like us." Runo informed. "Ran away from camp after not being claimed or something and Medusa took her in and looked after her in return for luring customers into this statue graveyard."

We sat there, trying to clear our heads.

"What are we going to do with the head?" Shun asked, breaking the silence.

"So we have Athena to thank for this monster?" I asked, not hearing what Shun said.

"It's your father actually, Dan!" Runo said angrily. "Medusa was your father's girlfriend! They decided to meet at my mother's temple and that's why Athena turned her into this monster. Medusa and her two sisters later became known as the three gorgons. That's why she wanted to slice me up, but she would've lived here happily with you or your statue. She still has a soft corner for your dad."

"So it's now my fault we met Medusa?!" I asked angrily.

"It's just a photo, Runo, We just have to pose, alright?" Runo said in an imitation of my voice.

"So, about the head-" Shun tried, but I was already on roll.

"You're impossible." I told Runo.

"Oh yeah? You're insufferable!" Runo said back.

"And you're-"

"Guys!" Marucho interrupted. "Let's get to that later! You're giving me a migraine! And I don't think I've ever had one in my life!"

"What about the head?" Shun asked again, coolly.

I was furious. Not at Runo or just her mom. But at all the Olympians. We'd just started this stinking quest and on the first day itself we were almost killed twice.

And what had Medusa said?

You need not be a pawn of the Olympians like many others were.

I got up. "Hang on a second."

I searched the back of the warehouse until I found Medusa's office.

Her account book showed her six most recent sales, all shipments to the Underworld to decorate Hades and Persephone's garden.

According to one bill, the Underworld's billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California.

I folded up the bill and stuffed it in my pocket.

In the cash register I found twenty dollars, a few golden drachmas, and some packing slips for Hermes Overnight Express, each with a little leather bag attached for coins.

I rummaged around the rest of the office until I found some tape.

I returned back to where the others were sitting.

I then packed up the box containing Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip:

The Gods

Mount Olympus

600th Floor, Empire State Building

New York

With best wishes,

DAN KUSO

"I don't think-" Alice started saying.

"They won't like that." Shun commented mildly.

"They'll think you're impertinent." Marucho said warily.

"I dropped a few coins into the pouch and closed it, making a sound that sounded like a counter closing echo through the room. The package floated up and disappeared with a pop.

"So I'll be impertinent." I said firmly and looked at Runo, waiting for her to criticize me, but she looked pretty used to the fact that I liked ticking off the gods and was quite good at it.

"Come on, we need a new plan." She told us, glancing unconcernedly at the statue Kazarina. "But before we start, Shun, Alice? I think you can rummage through this place for weapons. I'm sure you'll be bound to get one."

I UPDATED! Yeah, I deserve to be killed for not updating for almost a year, but I'm really sorry! I have a huge writer's block and I still have it! When I just saw a review and a few PMs begging me to put up the next chapter, guilt kicked in and I managed to finish this chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it!

And I really like reviews! No constructive criticism please!

~ NairaMisaki1234