Chapter 25- Say Cheese!
Recap: Auntie Em instructed us to go back to the dining hall. Hungry, I was just as eager to get there as Percy. I didn't pay too much attention to the fact that she locked the door. I figured it was a safety thing. It was late at night after all.
There were more pulsating statues in the store, but I was too busy concentrating on getting to this dining hall. Too busy to notice Grover still whimpering in the background.
"Uhm…we-we don't have any money," Grover said as we sat down. Percy elbowed him in the ribs
"Oh no, no. Orphans don't need to pay yes? You all look so hungry, you do not need any money," that was kind of her. I smiled.
"Thank you," Annabeth said. I could sense Aunty Em stiffen, but then just as quickly relax.
"Of course Annabeth." I wondered how it was she knew her name, when we never introduced ourselves. Before I got a chance to question, she went behind a counter to start cooking. It wasn't long before we had trays of cheeseburgers, milkshakes and fries stacked in front of us.
"So…," Percy started between bites of food "You sell gnomes?" I figured that was a pretty obvious thing since the store was called Auntie Em's Garden Gnome Emporium. Auntie Em didn't seem to notice his feigned politeness. I didn't listen to her response; I was too busy trying to shake the chill forming on the back of my neck. And trying to figure out why the gnomes were pulsating, why I felt like I was being watched. I was starting to get a little too creeped out by the whispers I was hearing along with the vibrations. I had dealt with enough creepiness, so I decided to ignore it.
"But some of my creations don't turn out very pretty, like you've noticed. Their face-," she paused. Maybe she was pointing, "Their face is never right. I had two sisters who helped me make them, kept me company, but they are gone…. These gnomes keep me company now. Them and of course you children."
"Two sisters?" Annabeth asked; I sensed her heart speed up.
"It's no story for such innocent children like you. You see Annabeth, an awful, terrible woman who was jealous of me a while ago. She wanted my boyfriend you see, and this awful, terrible woman was trying to break us apart. That woman caused me a great misfortune, and my sisters stayed with me, but they eventually passed on and faded away. Only I have lived on, but at such a price…," I was starting to get a little sleepy from everything I ate. Annabeth's tenseness was the only thing that kept me from complete serenity. That and Auntie Em's sad story.
"Percy….we should go." I rubbed my eyes, and rested my head on my folded arms.
"Oh Annabeth you have such beautiful gray eyes. I do believe that it has been a while since I've seen eyes like yours." Annabeth stood up abruptly, and the vibrations shook me awake.
"We should get going,"
"Yes! I Agree!" Grover yelled and stood up. What was the hurry? I was pretty happy and comfortable.
"Please, I don't get to be with children very often, and I've always wanted some. But you see that awful woman prevented me… won't you just sit for a picture? Just one little picture? It will be a model for a statue." a lie. I blinked myself awake, and tried to sit up. Something was wrong.
"I don't think so," Annabeth said.
"Of course we can." Percy interrupted. "What's the harm in one picture?"
"Yes Annabeth and Grover. No harm will come to you." a lie. The drowsiness was wearing off as a little plight of panic ate away at it. But I was still too tired to object, and Annabeth allowed us to be led away back out to the front into the garden of statues. I was barely able to walk. She set us on a bench. "Now, the two girls in the middle, Grover next to Annabeth, and Percy next to… I don't believe I know your name young one," I was surprised. She knew everyone else's name, so why not mine?
"It's… It's Lorelei."
"Ahh Lorelei, such a pretty name for a pretty young girl. A shame you can't see," she said, cradling my cheek. I bit my lip. How comfortable was I with her? She had lied about this photo. Annabeth was still tense as she asked where her camera was. "Now the face is always the most difficult, let me get a smile from all of you," Grover again asked where her camera was. "Grover, look this way dearie," Percy was starting to get a little edgy too, but he couldn't fight the sleepiness. Just like me. "I really can't see with this veil on…,"
"Percy something's wrong,"
"Wrong? No, no my dear, this is only a little photograph," Auntie Em said reaching to undue her veil.
"Don't look at her! She's Medusa, don't do it!" hands shoved me off of the bench, and I smacked on the ground. Annabeth and Grover were darting in different directions, but Percy wasn't moving. I heard a rasping hissing noise. Like a snake. Now with my history with reptiles, I really didn't want to deal with another 50-foot snake, so I made myself scramble behind a gnome.
"No! Don't!" I heard Annabeth yell "Don't look at her Percy!" from the hissing and the vibrations, I could tell it wasn't some massive snake, a small one really. Multiple small snakes coming from Auntie Em. I was afraid to look, since Annabeth was so adverse to it, but then I remembered that I had nothing to look at. I turned back at the snakes; they were on top of her head.
"Run! Maia, Maia!" Grover yelled and bleated. Percy still wasn't moving. What had happened to the Percy that once saved me from Mrs. Dodds, back at school?
"Oh I don't want to destroy such a handsome face. Why don't you stay with me Percy, and keep me company?" her voice was so soothing, I would've believed her. "Just look up Percy, that's all you have to do," Percy was battling with the temptation. "Athena did this to me Percy. She turned me from a beautiful woman into this! Annabeths mother did this to me!" Athena turned Auntie Em into a snake haired lady? Well, she wasn't lying about Athena giving her a new hairstyle. Despite the monstrous thing on her head, she didn't sound like a monster.
"Percy run! Don't listen to anything she says!"
"Be quiet!" her voice hissed louder and more vicious than the snakes on her head. "Don't you see Percy? Don't you see why I have to kill Annabeth? She's my enemy's daughter, I have to stomp her statue into dust. But not you. You can't help the gods Percy, you can't. Won't you stay here with me? There'd be so much less pain. Much less," her voice was back to sounding like silver.
"N-no," Percy muttered. "I-,"
"Percy duck!" I heard Grover zoom through the air, and then the thwack of what seemed a stick. It was probably a branch from what I could tell. Percy crawled over behind where I was. "Are you ok?" he nodded, breathing heavily. I was still hearing Grover beat up Medusa.
"Percy!" he jumped at the sound of Annabeths voice. "You have to cut off her head," I was actually thankful for being blind, since I really didn't want to witness any decapitations.
"What! Me! Why?" he didn't seem to want the job.
"She'll butcher me if I get to close and you…. Well you have the better weapon," she sounded sad to admit it. Great, so I can stay behind the rock right? I thought to myself. Grover's branch was pulled from his hands, and he flew forward yelling. He crashed into a gnome.
"Grover!" like some sort of instinct I ran over to him. Percy would have to hurry up if he were to cut off Medusa's head. "Grover are you ok?" I gently shook him; he was unconscious. "Oh no, come on wake up," I heard Medusa's roar, and her dashing to me. I turned with a gasp, but an even bigger roar came from the shadows.
"Whoa!" Percy yelled. I felt like I could see the Hellhound clawing at Medusa. Her snake heads were spitting and biting at him, and Grover slowly came to. I heard her bloodcurdling scream and the awful tear of her arm. "Lorelei, I need to cut off her head!"
"Uhhm," I stammered "Uh g-good boy! Heel! Uhh, come!" it didn't budge. It kept biting and growling, snarling at Medusa. With a quiet moan Grover began to wake up. "Come here boy," he rubbed his head
"You gotta be more assertive," Grover suggested "I mean it's a Hell Hound. Hades rules over them," he mumbled. Right. He had a good point. I cleared my throat and took in a deep breath.
"Enough!" I called. The dog turned to me abruptly, still growling and stopped. "Come here," I said almost angrily. Without hesitation the hound sauntered over to me. "Good boy," I said with a smile.
"Percy," I heard Medusa's wounded and raspy voice, still sounding so sweet. "You wouldn't hurt an old woman like me would you?"
"Percy don't listen to her!"
"Too late," Medusa snarled, but I heard a sickening crunch over her yell. I turned my head into the Hell Hound, even though I couldn't see. It was almost as bad hearing the thud.