31/10/2021
Happy Halloween Everyone!
Author's Note: I edited a part of the last chapter.
Chapter 12: I Am Going To Go Grey Aren't I?
After they had taken a short break from each other. As Zeus had ordered as he wanted to get his migraine under control and hoped some tempers might be calmed down if they met back in an hour to continue.
When they had gotten back it had appeared that Poseidon and Athena had gotten that drink they wanted. Apollo seemed to be moaning about a wound, while the Moon Goddess looked smug/annoyed with him making a big deal about something so little. Hermes wasn't looking like he was going to turn Dionysus into a mouse. Yet at least. Hades was still looking smug at Zeus, who still had a pained expression on his face. But hadn't really explored anger or annoyance yet. So that bet was still going.
Which unknown to him more bets had been placed. And bets also were going more on which child of his would make him lose it. That went between Apollo, Hermes and Dionysus and surprisingly Artemis if she kept arguing with Apollo. But if it wasn't his child the bets were between Hades and Poseidon.
Leo was pouting as it would seem Calypso won what they were fighting about but seemed to be bouncing back a big as he was talking in hushed whispers to Pollux, Conner and Travis which judging by the looks could be pranked involved. Katie was cuddled up to Travis with he was talking. Clarisse and Chris were talking quietly. As were Frank and Hazel who seemed to be trying to snuggle up together. Will was trying to hide laughter as Nico was pouting about how his big bad cousins were teasing him. Which Will thought made him look adorable. But he wasn't going to tell him that. Yet. Reyna and Thalia were in an intense discussion about just what was going to happen next. With Leila, Gwen, Piper and Meg joining in as they hadn't been there either. Grover was talking to Annabeth and Percy quietly.
"How do you think they will take the next bit?" Grover whispers.
"Not well", Percy replies just as quietly.
"This is probably not going to go down well with our parents", Annabeth adds.
"And my Uncle when he finds out what I did after that event", Percy replies.
"Yeh. I wonder what his reaction is going to be", Grover says.
"At least we get to see what his reaction is going to be this time", Annabeth says with a smile.
"Nice smile at my doom", Percy says dramatically.
"I thought you didn't regret what you did", Grover states.
"I don't", Percy replies, "But I don't fancy getting hit with lightning when he finds out with me in the room. I was far away and not in his line of sight when I did it"
"Well lets hope he doesn't do something too dramatic", Annabeth replies.
"Dramatic Wise Girl? This is my Uncle is well known for his dramatics", Percy tells her
"Well he can't…"
"Ok everyone lets start on the next chapter so we can finish this before I get any older listening to this quest already or my migraine gets any worse than it already is as it feels like thousands of drums pounding in my head", Zeus calls as everyone rolls their eyes.
Percy looks at Annabeth and raised eyebrow. Annabeth doesn't grace him with a response.
"Who wants to read?" Zeus continues.
"I'll go", Demeter offers.
Pollux hands her the book and everyone gets comfortable.
Chapter 11: We Visit The Garden Gnome Emporium
Everyone looked confused by that title.
"That doesn't really give us any clues about what is going to happen", Reyna points out.
"Good", Percy states.
"We aren't going to like this are we?" Poseidon asks wearily.
Percy pointy doesn't answer. But that in itself gives them the answer.
It a way, it's nice to know there are Greek Gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong.
The Gods all look at Percy who looks sheepish.
"We you had to admit I had a point", Percy replies.
Annabeth whacks his shoulder.
"Sorry", he mutters much to everyone's amusement.
"Don't worry Percy most of us believe that too!" Leo says grinning.
Calypso groans, "I might not be about to stop them from killing you"
"But you love me don't you?" Leo asks pouting.
"Unfortunately", Calypso replies with a straight face.
"Hey! What does that mean?" Leo asks pouting more.
"Oh baby don't be a baby. You know I was joking", Calypso says with a giggle before kissing him.
Demeter coughs and Calypso and Leo blush as they suddenly remember where they were and that they were talking up reading time.
For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck; when you're a Half-Blood, you understand that some divine force really is trying to mess up your day.
Chuckles go around the room at that.
"Did you ever have a worse day?" Piper asks curiously.
"Yes and you know what that is", Percy replies looking at her pointedly.
Piper looks sheepish as she realizes what he was hinting at.
"Sorry I forgot", she says.
"It is alright. Wish Annabeth and I could forget", Percy replies.
"Forget what?" Athena asks worriedly.
"You will find out", Annabeth replies.
"Much, much, much later", Percy predicts.
So there we were, Annabeth and Grover and I, walking through the woods on the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making the night sky yellow behind us and the small of the Hudson reeking in our noses.
"That sounds like fun", Frank says sarcastically with a smirk.
"Loads", Percy says deadpan.
Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror.
"Three Kindly Ones. All three at once"
"We got that part Grover", Travis and Conner snicker.
I was pretty much in shock myself. The explosion of bus windows still rang in my ears. But Annabeth kept pulling us along, saying: "Come on! The further away we get, the better"
"All our money was back there", I reminded her, "Our food and clothes. Everything"
"Bugger", many say.
"How will you do this now? Get all the way to LA", Hades asks curiously.
"It was very, very hard", Annabeth replies.
"And not enjoyable in the least", Percy adds.
"Sounds like it will be more interesting from here", Leila comments.
"It will", Percy and Annabeth admit.
"And a lot more dangerous", Grover mutters only to get elbowed by Annabeth.
"Don't say a word", Annabeth tells him firmly.
"Well, maybe if you hadn't decided to jump into the fight –"
"What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?"
"You didn't need to protect me, Percy. I would've been fine"
"Sliced like sandwich bread", Grover put it, "but fine"
"Cheery Grover", Nico comments.
"Shut up, goat boy", says Annabeth.
Grover brayed mournfully, "Tin cans . . . a perfectly good bag of tin cans"
"Is that all you could think about?" Thalia asks teasingly.
Grover blushes.
"No it isn't", Grover replies.
"What else DO you think about?" Leo says suggestively.
Grover blushes again.
Percy, Nico, Hermes and Apollo snicker at that.
"Ok leave the goat boy along", Annabeth says stepping in.
"Thank you Annabeth", Grover says relieved that she had stepping in.
"You owe me", Annabeth replies teasingly.
"What?" Grover asks wearily.
"Oh I am sure I'll think of something", Annabeth replies.
"Careful G-Man that would get into dangerous territory", Percy advises him.
"Great", Grover moans.
We sloshed across mushy ground, through nasty twisted trees that smelled like sour laundry.
After a few minutes, Annabeth fell into line next to me, "Look, I . . . ", her voice faltered, "I appreciate your coming back for us, okay? That was really brave"
"Awww", many say.
Annabeth blushes and glares at those who did that.
"But it was foolish", Athena states.
"I don't leave any of my friends behind Lady Athena. Never", Percy tells her firmly.
"Your loyalty will be the death of you. As loyalty is your Fatal Flaw", Athena tells him.
"I have heard that before", Percy retorts, "And it would never stop me from helping those I care about"
"How many times has your Fatal Flaw nearly killed you?" Poseidon asks wearily.
"Can't say", Percy replies.
"He is just saying that because we lost count years ago", Nico says helpfully smirking.
Percy glares at him.
"Did you have too?" Percy asks him as he seen his Dad go pale.
"That was for telling MY Dad about my Shadow Travelling", Nico replies looking quite pleased with himself.
"I am going to get…", Poseidon starts.
Demeter coughs and starts to read again.
She was silent for a few more steps, "It's just that if you died . . . aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over. This may be my only chance to see the real would"
"Is that really all you could think about?" Meg asks.
"No", Annabeth mutters, "I didn't mean it that way"
"I know Wise Girl", Percy says kissing her.
"Remember she hadn't left the camp since I was turned into a tree", Thalia points out.
"And that was a few years", Katie points out to her sister.
"Oh", Meg says with a shrug.
The thunderstorm had finally let up. The city glow faded behind us, leaving us in almost total darkness. I couldn't see anything of Annabeth except a glint of her blonde hair.
"You haven't left Camp Half-Blood since you were seven?" I asked her.
"No . . . only short field trips. My Dad –"
"The history professor"
"Yeah. It didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood is my home", she was rushing her words out now, as if she were afraid somebody might try to stop her.
"Camp Half-Blood is ALL out homes", Katie says smiling.
"Just like Camp Jupiter is ours", Frank states.
"Or the Hunt is mind now", Thalia comments.
"At Camp you train and train. And that's all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not"
If I didn't know better, I could've sworn I heard doubt in her voice.
"You're pretty good with that knife", I say.
"You think so?"
"Anybody who can piggyback-ride a Fury is okay by me"
I couldn't really see, but I thought she might've smiled.
"You know", she says, "Maybe I should tell you . . . Something funny back on the bus"
Many lean in waiting for what she was going to say.
Whatever she wanted to say was interrupted by a shrill toot-toot-toot, like the sound of an owl being tortured.
"Bugger", Apollo, Hermes, Travis and Conner mutter.
Many were disappointed they wouldn't find out what Annabeth was going to say and Annabeth smiles at that. After all she was already being embarrassed. Not as much as Percy. But still.
"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" Grover cried, "If I could just remember a 'find me' song, we could get out of these woods!"
Everyone bursts out laughing at that.
"Sounds like a tortured owl", Apollo laughs loudly falling off his throne in gales of laughter.
Quickly followed by Hermes.
Grover blushes.
"Leave him alone he has gotten better", Annabeth says to everyone that laughs.
Percy chuckles and Grover glares at him.
"You got to admit G-Man you were bad back then", Percy chuckles.
Grover grumbles and decides not to protest his past skills. Because he had to admit he would be lying if he said his past skills were good.
"Good thing he improved then", Thalia says laughing.
"For all our ears", Travis and Conner say.
"Hey! Don't mock the Lord of…", Grover starts.
"Grover!" Annabeth exclaims pointedly.
Grover blushes, "Opps"
"The Lord of?" Athena asks looking suspiciously at Grover.
Athena thought of things he might be Lord over but she really couldn't see how that could be.
"You will find out later", Percy says.
He puffed out a few notes, but the tune still sounded suspiciously like Hilary Duff.
"Really?" Apollo asks scrunching up his noise.
"Everybody is a critic", Grover mutters.
Instead of finding a path, I immediately slammed into a tree and got a nice-size knot on my forehead.
Laughter broke out again at that and Percy grimaces he had forgotten about that. Even his own Father laughed at that!
"Sorry Son", Poseidon chuckles seeing his sons glare, "It is a change from you getting injured by monsters"
Percy sighs and reminds himself to have a 'talk' with the future Apollo after all this was done and dusted.
Add to the list of superpowers I did not have: infrared vision.
After tripping and cursing and generally feeling miserable for another mile or so, I started to see light up ahead" the colours of a neon sign. I could smell food. Fried, greasy, excellent food. I realized I hadn't eaten anything unhealthy since I'd arrived at Half-Blood Hill, where we lived on grapes, bread, cheese and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue. This boy needed a double cheeseburger.
"Who do I have a bad feeling about this?" Hestia asks rhetorically.
"Because you're the most level-headed Auntie Hestia and one of the smartest", Percy replies.
"Excuse me?" Athena says glaring at the Son of her rival.
"Yes what did you mean by that?" Zeus asks Percy.
"Nothing. Just forget I said anything", Percy says knowing if he tried to point of their flaws in logic he might just get killed.
We kept walking until I saw a deserted two-lane road station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie and one open business, which was the course of the neon light and the good smell.
"Something doesn't look right", Artemis states.
"Yes we noticed Arty", Apollo replies.
"Apollo you better stop bloody call…"
"Enough!" Zeus says to the Twins before they could really get going again and bring back his migraine, "Demeter continue"
It wasn't a fast-food restaurant like I'd hoped. It was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that. The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary.
Athena's eyes widen. No it couldn't be.
The neon sign above the gate was impossible for me to read, because if there's anything worse for my dyslexia than regular English. It's red cursive neon English.
To me, it looked like: ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROIUM.
"What the heck does that say?" I ask.
"I don't know", Annabeth says.
"Is it really that bad for you all?" Aphrodite asks them.
They all nod.
"And some have it worse than others and the perfect example of that is Percy. His dyslexia is worse than anybody's", Clarisse teases.
Percy wasn't even going to bother to retort to that. Why waste his breath?
She loved reading so much, I'd forgotten she was dyslexic too.
Grover translated: "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium"
"Di Immortales", Athena curses.
"Athena you swore!" Poseidon says in shock.
"You will too when you figure it out", Athena replies.
"What is it?" Hera asks curious.
"You will see", Grover says shivering just remembering what was about to happen.
Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving as if they were about to get their picture taken.
Annabeth, Percy and Grover grimace at that.
I crossed the street, following the smell of the hamburgers.
"It is obviously a trap you foolish boy", Artemis states.
"As I said Lady Artemis. I was young and didn't know any better", Percy replies.
"Yeh lay off Percy for now Arty until we learn everything", Apollo tells her.
"Artemis don't even think about it", Zeus says cutting off what Artemis was likely to retorts too.
Artemis grits her teeth as she really didn't like being called Arty.
"Hey . . .", Grover warns.
"The lights are on inside", Annabeth says, "Maybe it's open"
"Snack bar", I say wistfully.
"Snack bar", she agrees.
"Are you two crazy?" Grover says, "This place is weird"
We ignored him.
"Listen to him", Athena states.
"Are you two really going to go in their?" Hades asks them.
"What does it look like?" Percy asks rhetorically and sarcastically.
The front garden was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gave Grover the creeps.
"NO!" Poseidon shouts realizing just who his son and his friends were about to face, "Please tell me this is a joke", Poseidon begs.
"Afraid not", Percy replies grimly.
"I am definably going to go grey", Poseidon says leaning back heavily in his throne.
"Don't worry Dad from when I am from you don't have a single grey hair and I have been in worse situations then this", Percy replies.
"Care to elaborate on that?" Poseidon asks.
"Not really"
"Bla-ha-ha", he bleated, "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!"
"That's because he is", Hades replies knowing what is happening.
But how did they get out alive?
Those that didn't know like the Romans look at them curiously.
"How is that possible?" Gwen asks the question.
"I'll continue and you will likely find out", Demeter states before getting back to the book.
We stopped at the warehouse door.
"Don't knock", Grover pleaded, "I smell monsters"
"Listen to the satyr", Hephaestus states.
"Not likely", Chris says.
"This IS Percy after all", Conner chuckles.
"As Percy is not in the habit of following common sense", Travis adds.
Poseidon groans at that.
"Thanks guys", Percy says glaring at the three sons of Hermes.
"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies", Annabeth told him, "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"
"Annabeth! YOU didn't listen to reason?" Athena asks shocked.
"Sorry", Annabeth replies sheepishly.
"I think I might get grey hairs", Athena groans.
She suddenly feeling sorry for Poseidon as she thought about how much trouble her own daughter was likely to get into when on these quests with Poseidon's son.
"That smell must be a spell to lure in prey", Calypso states, "And it would smell like anything that would entice a person to come into the store"
"I believe that is so after much thought about how we got into this coming mess", Annabeth admits.
"Meat!" he says scornfully, "I'm a vegetarian"
"Have you forgotten him Bethany", Dionysus asks rhetorically.
Annabeth decides not to even grace that with a answer.
"You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminums cans", I reminded him.
"Those are vegetables. Come on. Let's leave. These statues are . . . looking at me"
"Listen to the satyr", Leila advises.
"Unfortunately that would be too late", Percy admits.
Many sigh on that. Why couldn't Percy stay out of trouble?
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 being curtain of black gauze, but they was about all I could make out.
"Shit", many of the Gods curse not getting it.
"How on earth did you three escape this one alive?" Hades asks them.
"Luck", Percy mutters.
"And barely", Grover adds.
Her coffee-coloured hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant, so I imagined she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady.
"You are correct she once was a beautiful lady", Aphrodite states.
Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too.
She says, "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 say.
"Orphans?" the woman says. The word sounded alien in her mouth, "But, my dears! Surely not!"
"We got separated from out caravan", I say, "Out 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?"
Tense chuckles comes as they think of Percy's made-up story.
"Oh my dears", the woman says, "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"
"Didn't your parents ever teach you not to talk to strangers?" Hestia asks them concerned.
"Yes but that kind of went out the window the moment I entered this world", Percy replies with a shrug.
All the other demigods nod in agreement to that too.
"This is going to be good", Ares states smirking and rubbing his hands ready for some action.
We thanked her and went inside.
"And the same could be said of going into people's houses you don't know", Hera adds to Hestia's comment a moment ago.
Annabeth mutters to me, "Circus caravan?"
"Always have a strategy, right?"
"Your head is full of kelp"
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.
"That's because they had been live people", Hermes states.
The Romans eyes widen finally catching on. How did they get out of this one?
But mostly I was thinking about food.
Go ahead, call me an idiot for walking…
"Thank you for your permission and we will", Nico says laughing.
"But we didn't need permission to call you that anyway. Because as cousins we have rights to call you an idiot every time you do something the is completely idiotic", Thalia adds.
"And I will continue to ignore it", Percy retorts.
into a strange lady's shop just because I was hungry, but I do impulsive stuff sometimes.
"ALL the time!" the Demigods shout.
And Percy pouts much to everyone's amusement.
Plus, you've never smelled Aunty Em's burgers.
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover grimace at that.
The aroma was like laughing gas in the dentist's chair – it mad everything else go away. I barely noticed Grover's nervous whimpers,
"Sorry G-man", Percy says.
"It's ok Perce"
or the way statues' eyes seemed to follow me, or the fact Aunt Em had locked the door behind us.
Poseidon and Athena grip their thrones.
The atmosphere in the throne room was getting tenser by the second. But some no one person was very eager for what was coming. Well do people if you included a certain Gods daughter.
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", Aunt Em says.
"Awesome", I say.
"Um", Grover says reluctantly, "we don't have any money ma'am"
Before I could jab him in the ribs, Aunty Em says, "No, no, children. No money. This is a spiecal case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans"
"And you probably shouldn't take food from strangers", Apollo says trying to relieve the tension.
But that didn't work.
"Thank you, Ma'am", Annabeth says.
Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done something wrong,
"You need to get out of there Annabeth!" Athena exclaims.
Annabeth knows her Mother at this time had forgotten this had already happened. And Annabeth decided it wasn't worth it to continue to tell her Mother she was alright.
but then the old woman relaxed just as quickly, so I figured it must've been imagination.
"Quite all right, Annabeth", she says, "You have such beautiful grey eyes, child". Only later I wonder how she knew Annabeth's name, even though we have never introduced ourselves.
"That should have been another read flag for you", Hades points out.
They just shrug.
Out hostess disappeared being 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.
"That is making me hungry", Leo comments.
I was halfway through my burger before I remembered to breathe.
Annabeth slurped her shake.
Grover picked at his 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 asks.
I listened, but didn't hear anything. Annabeth shook her head.
"Hissing?" Aunty Em asks, "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover"
"More like Goats ears", Leo jokes.
Calypso just rolls her eyes at her boyfriend. If things weren't so tense she might have tried to stop his comments.
"I take vitamins. For my ears"
"Is that even a thing?" Meg asks.
Nobody bothers to comment on that.
"That's admirable", she says, "But please, relax"
Aunty Em ate nothing. She hadn't take off her head-dress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watcher 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 out hostess.
"So, you sell gnomes", I say, trying to sound interested.
"Oh, yes", Aunty Em says, "And animals, And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders, Statuary is very popular, you know"
"A lot of business on this road?"
"It sounds like there has been more then it should be", Zeus says looking thoughtful.
Which to some didn't seem right for him.
"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 am 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 was startled, or even terrified.
"Ah", Aunty Em says 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"
"That is because the last thing they see is your face", Hephaestus mutters.
"You make these statues yourself?" I ask.
"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business,
"Met them. Done that", Percy mutters.
Poseidon gives him a concerned look. Percy didn't imply what he thought he did. Did he?
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 says, "Not one for children, really. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago,
"I was not jealous", Athena growls interrupting.
Aphrodite snorts at that, "Yeah right"
Athena gets her a dirty look.
when I was young. I had a . . . a boyfriend
"I wouldn't call it a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship", Poseidon mutters, "It was barely…"
"Dad please!" Percy begs, "I don't need this imagine in my head again"
Snickers come around the room at that.
"At least you didn't catch your Dad and Stepmother going at it in the middle of the throne room last winter", Nico mutters with a shudder.
Hades eyes widen at that as many laugh. Demeter took her eyes off the book and glared at him.
"We're married so it is fine to do that", Hades coughs.
"And healthy", Aphrodite says with a wink.
Demeter decides just to start again.
, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident.
"Not a accident", Athena mutters.
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 eyelids kept getting heavier, my full stomach making me sleepy.
"No that was probably a potion she added to the food", Calypso states.
Poor old lady/ Who would want to hurt somebody so nice?
"Percy?" Annabeth was shaking me to get my attention, "Maybe we should go. I mean, the ringmaster will be waiting"
She sounded tense.
"Yes! She had got it", Travis, Conner, Chris and Leo state.
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 grey eyes", Aunty Em told Annabeth again, "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen grey eyes like those"
She reached out as if to stroke Annabeth's cheek, but Annabeth stood up abruptly.
"We really should go"
"Defiantly go", Piper states.
"Before you become her next masterpiece", Pollux states.
"Like that would be a tragedy", Dionysus mutters.
"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 pose?" Annabeth asks warily.
"Don't you dare say yes", Athena and Poseidon growl.
"Or you will be grounded for a decade"
"Well you better start grounding us then"
"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 –"
"Sure we can", I say.
I was irritated with Annabeth for being so bossy, so rude to an old lady who'd just fed us for free.
"It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"
"How about your life?" Piper suggests rhetorically.
"Yes, Annabeth", the woman purrs, "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 says, "I'll just position you correctly. The young girl in the middle, I think, and the two young gentlemen on either side"
"Not much light for a photo", I remark.
"Wake up Percy", Poseidon states.
"Before you get killed in a blink of an eye", Ares taunts.
"And won't that be a tragedy", Dionysus says sarcastically.
"Quiet Dionysus", Poseidon and Athena say to the Drunk.
"Oh, enough", Aunty Em says, Enough for us to see each other, yes?"
"Where's your camera?" Grover asks.
Aunty Em stepped back, as if to admire the shot, "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 my Uncle Ferdinand"
Grover", Aunty Em chastised. "look this way, dear"
She still had no camera in her hands.
"Come on Prissy how dense can you get?" Clarisse asks him.
"Oh shut it Clarisse"
"Percy –", Annabeth says.
Some instinct warned me to listen to Annabeth, but I was fighting the sleepy feeling, the comfortable lull that came from the food and the old lady's voice.
"I will just be a moment", Aunty Em says, "You know, I can't see you very sell in this cursed veil . . ."
"Percy, something's wrong", Annabeth insists.
"Listen to her!" most Gods say to the amusement of the trio.
Seeming to forget they were here.
"Wrong?" Aunty Em says, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head, "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"
Athena and Poseidon seemed to be crushing the arms of their thrones as suspense was in the air. They seemed to have forgotten their children were alive and right in this room.
"That is Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover gasps.
"Look away from her!" Annabeth shouts. She whipped her Yankees cap on to her head and vanished. Her invisible hands pushed Grover and me both off the bench.
I was on the ground, looking at Aunt Em's sandalled feet.
I could hear Grover scrambling off in one direction, Annabeth in another, But I was too dazed to move.
"MOVE!" Poseidon booms.
"Don't split up!" Athena says at the same time.
"When do you think they will notice us again?" Percy whispers to Annabeth.
"Till the end of this chapter probably", Annabeth replies in a hushed whisper.
Then I heard a strange, rasping sound above me. My eyes rose to Aunty Em's hands, which had turned gnarled and warty, which 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.
"Why can't you stop calling her Aunty Em? It is just creepy", Apollo asks.
"Why would you immediately start calling a complete stranger like that anyway?" Hephaestus asks.
"And a creepy one at that", Aphrodite states.
"Run!" Grover bleats. I heard him racing across the gravel, yelling, "Maia!" to kick-start his flying sneakers.
I couldn't move. I stared at Aunty Em's gnarled claws, and tried to fight the groggy trance the old woman had put me in.
"Damn how do you get out of this one? If you can't move", Reyna asks.
"Such a pity to distort a handsome young face", she told me soothingly, "Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do us look up"
I fought the urge to obey. Instead I looked to one side and saw one of those glass spheres people put in gardens – a gazing ball. I could see Aunty Em's dark reflection in the orange glass; her headdress was gone, revealing her face as a shimmerling pale circle. Her hair moving, writhing like serpents.
Aunty Em.
Aunty 'M'.
How could I have been so stupid?
"Talent", Thalia replies innocently.
Percy glares at her and splashes her with water.
Then it is Thalia's turn to glare at him.
Think, I told myself. How did Medusa did in the myths?
But I couldn't think. Something told me that in the myth Medusa had been asleep when she was attacked by my namesake, Perseus. She wasn't anywhere near asleep now. If she wanted, she could take those talons right now and rake open my face.
"Such a cheery attitude", Apollo states.
"Well at the time I thought I was dead meat", Percy retorts.
"You have a point", Apollo concedes.
"The Grey-Eyed One did this to me, Percy", Medusa says, and she didn't sound anything like a monster. Her voice invited me to look up, to sympathize with a poor old grandmother, "Annabeth's Mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this"
"Don't listen to her!" Annabeth's voice shouts, somewhere in the statuary, "Run, Percy!"
"Just get away from her!" Poseidon says gripping his throne tightly.
"Come on you have to move faster", Athena states.
"Actually they have to do better then that if they are going to make it too the Underworld alive", Dionysus points out.
"Shut up Dionysus!" Athena and Poseidon shout.
"Dad…", Pollux says with a sigh.
"Silence!" Medusa snarled. Then her voice modulated back to a comforting purr, "You see why I must distort the girl, Percy. She is my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust. But you, dear Percy, you need not suffer"
"No", I mutter. I tried to make my legs move.
"Do you really want to help the Gods?" Medusa asks, "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy? What will happen if you reach the Underworld? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off a statue. Less pain. Less pain"
"Percy!" Behind me, I heard a buzzing sound, like a ninety-kilogram hummingbird in a nosedive. Grover yelled, "Duck!"
"MOVE!" Poseidon yells still forgetting Percy was alright and this wasn't really happening.
I 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.
"Duck!" he yells again, "I'll get her!"
That finally jolted me into action. Knowing Grover, I was sure he'd miss Medusa and nail me.
"Yee of little faith", Grover grumbles.
Percy just smiles at his best friend.
I dove to one side.
Thwack!
At first I figured it was the sound of Grover hitting a tree. Then Medusa roared with rage.
"You miserable satyr", she snarls, "I'll add you to my collection!"
"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover yells back.
I scrambled away and hid in the statuary
"Chicken", Ares says with amusement in his eyes.
"You will see", Percy mutters lowly.
while Grover swooped down for another pass.
Hermes, Apollo, Conner, Travis, Leo were all cheering Grover on. As Percy just watched in amusement.
Ker-whack!
"Arrgh!" Medusa yells, her snake-hair hissing and spitting.
Right next to me, Annabeth's voice says, "Percy!"
I jumped so high my feet nearly cleared a garden gnome.
Chuckles come from around the room.
"Pansy", Ares mutters.
"Jeez! Don't do that!"
Annabeth took off her Yankees cap and became visible.
"You have to cut her head off"
"What? Are you crazy? Let's get out of here"
"Coward", Ares mutters.
Percy couldn't wait to the chapter that hopefully went into his fight with Ares in detail so the War God wouldn't look so smug and arrogant. He hoped when the fight was read out the War God's ego would go down a few points.
"Medusa is a menace. She's evil. I'd kill her myself, but . . . ", Annabeth swallowed, as if she were about to make a difficult admission, "But you've got the better weapon. Besides, I'd never get close to her. She'd slice me to bits because of my Mother. You - you've got a chance"
"What? I can't – "
"Look, do you want her turning more innocent people into statues?"
She pointed to a pair of statue lovers, a man and a woman with their arms around each other, turned to stone by a monster.
Annabeth grabbed a green gazing ball from a nearby pedestal, "A polished shield would be better", she studied the sphere critically, "The convexity will cause some distortion. The reflection's size, should be off by a factor of –"
Laughter comes again.
"Annabeth your in the middle of a life and death situation and your giving him a lecture?" Thalia laughs.
Annabeth groans and hides her head in Percy's shoulder.
"You have to admit Wise Girl that it WAS pretty funny after the fact", Percy whispers too her.
"That is besides the point", Annabeth grumbles.
"Would you speak English?"
"She is", Will chuckles.
"I am!" she tossed me the glass ball, "Just look at her in the glass. Never look at her directly"
"Hey, guys!" Grover yells somewhere above us, "I think she's unconscious"
"I wish", Percy mutters.
"It won't be that easy", Clarisse states.
"Roooaaarrr!"
"Maybe not", Grover corrected. He went in for another pass with the tree branch.
"Hurry", Annabeth tells me, "Grover's got a great nose, but he'll eventually crash"
I took out my pen and uncapped it. The bronze blade of Riptide elongated in my hand.
I followed the hissing and spitting sounds of Medusa's hair.
I kept my eyes locked on the gazing ball so I would only glimpse Medusa's reflection, not the real thing. Then, in the green tinted glass. I saw her.
Grover was coming in for another turn at bat, but this time he flew a little too low. Medusa grabbed the stock, and pulled him off course. He tumbled through the air and crashed into the arms of a stone grizzly bear with a painful, "Ummphh!"
"Are you ok Grover?" Katie asks.
"I was fine"
"I wouldn't mind doing that", Leo states.
"No! You WON'T do that if you don't want to spend the next decade on the couch", Calypso threatens.
"Awww Caly you spoil ALL my fun", Leo says pouting.
Medusa was about to lunge at him when I yelled, "Hey!"
I advanced on her, which wasn't easy, holding a sword and a glass ball. If she charged, I'd have a hard time defending myself.
But she let me approach – ten metres, five metres.
I could see the reflection of her face now. Surely it wasn't really that ugly. The green swirls of the gazing ball must be distorting it, making it look worse.
"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy", she crooned, "I know you wouldn't"
I hesitated, fascinated by the face I saw reflected in the glass – the eyes that seemed to burn straight through the green tint, making my arms go weak.
From the cement grizzly, Grover moans, "Percy, don't listen to her!"
Medusa crackles, "Too late"
She lunged at me with her talons.
Poseidon and Athena looked like they couldn't get anymore tense as Percy was sure he heard cracks come from the arm rests of their thrones.
I slashed up with my sword, heard a sickening shlock!, then a hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern – the sound of a monster disintegrating.
Sighs of relief go around the room.
"Thank the Creator", the two parents say.
Percy, Annabeth and Grover chuckle and Athena and Poseidon jump and look sheepish.
"Did you forget we are here?" Percy asks.
"And that we aren't harmed?" Annabeth asks.
"Or the fact this happened over 5 years ago for us?" Percy asks them.
"All right, all right we get it. But Perseus you're going to give me grey hairs", Poseidon tells him.
"And the way this all sounds you will give ME grey hairs Annabeth", Athena states.
"Promises, promises", Percy chuckles
"It all seriousness were you all alright?" Hestia asks concern in her voice and eyes.
"We were fine", Percy assures her.
"Just some cuts, bumps and bruises and they were quickly sorted out", Annabeth adds.
Something fell to the ground next to my foot. It took all my willpower not to look. I could feel warm ooze soaking into my sock, little dying snake heads tugging at my shoelaces.
"Oh, yuck", Grover says. His eyes were still tightly closed, but I guess he could hear the thing gurgling and steaming.
"Mega-yuck"
Annabeth came up next to me, her eyes fixed on the sky. She was holding Medusa's black veil. She says, "Don't move"
Very, very carefully, without looking down, she knelt and draped the monster's head in black cloth, then picked it up. It was still dripping green juice.
"Oh that is disgusting", Aphrodite states looking sick.
"I would destroy that immediately", Hera states.
Percy and his girlfriend and Grover share a look.
"What is that?" Poseidon asks.
"You did get rid of that didn't you?" Athena asks.
"In a matter of speaking", Percy replies innocently.
Poseidon groans somehow his gut was telling him he wasn't going to like it.
"Are you okay?" she asks me, her voice trembling.
"Yeah", I decide, though I felt like throwing up my double cheeseburger, "Why didn't . . . why didn't the head evaporate?"
"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war", she says.
"That is one spoil of war that nobody wants", Reyna says with a grimace.
"It has it uses", Percy replies cryptically.
Something told some of the Gods they weren't going to like what he did with the head.
"Same as your Minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you"
"Bloody brilliant", Leila says sarcastically.
Grover moaned as he climbed down from the grizzly statue. He had a big welt on his forehead. His green rasta cap hung from one of his little goat horns, and his fake feet had been knocked off his hooves. The magic sneakers were flying aimlessly around his head.
"The Red Baron", I say, "Good, job, man"
He managed a bashful grin, "That really was not fun, though. Well, the hitting-her-with-a-stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear? Not fun"
"Was it really that fun Grover?" Piper asks.
"It was a bit", Grover admits.
"You weren't hurt were you?" Will asks concerned.
"A few bruises but I was fine", Grover replies.
"That would have been so cool", Meg, Leo, Travis and Conner all say.
He snatched his shoes out of the air. I recapped my sword. Together, the three of us stumbled back to the warehouse.
We found some old plastic grocery bags behind the snack counter and double-wrapped Medusa's head. We plopped it on the table where we'd eaten dinner and sat around it, too exhausted to speak.
Finally I say, "So we have Athena to thank for this monster?"
The current Athena glares at Percy.
Annabeth flashed me an irritated look, "Your Dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend.
"Again not my girlfriend", Poseidon grumbles.
"Really you sure acted like it", Athena points out.
"Come on it was so long ago…"
"You did IT in MY Temple!"
"It was a mistake…"
"A mistake in MY Temple!"
"Not this again", Hephaestus mutters.
"This is an age old argument", Hera states.
"How many times has this been bought up now?" Hades asks amused.
"Quiet! Demeter continue", Zeus orders barely keeping his cool.
They decided to meet in my Mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you as a nice statue. She's still sweet on your Dad. You probably reminded her of him"
"Just great. I didn't need to be reminded of that", Poseidon groans hating to be reminded of having the effecting still of Medusa.
"I didn't need to learn about it", Percy points out.
"Again it is not like you walked in on your Dad doing i…", Nico starts but Percy launches at him and covers his mouth.
"Not. One. More. Word", Percy growls to him, "Otherwise you and Will won't have any alone time in the near future"
Nico licks his hand. And Percy pulls back in disgust.
"Gross Neeks", Percy grumbles wiping his hand.
Nico smirks knowing he had one that around.
My face was burning, "Oh, so now it's my fault we met Medusa"
Annabeth straightened. In a bad imitation of my voice, she says, '"It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"'
"Forget it", I say, "You're impossible"
"I am glad you noticed", Annabeth states.
"It wasn't a complement"
"Your insufferable"
"The is a good one", Thalia says.
"You're –"
"What are you two? Three?" Zeus asks in some amusement.
"Look whose talking", Percy mutters.
"What was that?" Zeus asks.
"He said you're the one that acts like a two-year-old", Hades says helpfully and looking at his nails.
"I didn't say those words!" Percy protests.
"Ha…"
"Lets just finish", Hera suggests, "Demeter"
Demeter nods to continue.
"Hey!" Grover interrupts, "You two are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even get migraines. What are we going to do with the head?"
I stared at the thing. One little snake was hanging out of a hole in the plastic. The words printed on the side of the bag said: WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS!
I was angry, not just with Annabeth or her Mum, but with all the Gods for this whole quest, for getting us blown off the road and in two major fights the very first say out from camp. At this rate, we'd never make it to L.A alive, much less before the Summer Solstice.
What had Medusa said?
Do not be a prawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue.
I got up, "I'll be back"
"Oh no he is going to do something stupid isn't he?" Calypso asks.
"Oh yes", Annabeth replies hoping her boyfriend would escape another blasting from the Master Bolt.
"As Percy is always going to do something to annoy Gods, and certain Earth", Frank points out.
"And giants", Hazel tells them
"What?" Poseidon asks wearily.
"Nothing. You just heard wrong"
"Percy", Annabeth calls after me. "What are you –"
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 freight bill, the Underworld's billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California. I folded up the bill and stuffed it in my pocket.
"Good idea", Pollux states.
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 the right-size box.
"Oh no", Poseidon groans guessing what his son was going to do.
Apollo and Hermes were smirking after realizing what Percy was likely going to do.
I went back to the picnic table, packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip:
The Gods
Mount Olympus
600th Floor,
Empire State Building
New York, NY
With Best Wishes,
Percy Jackson
Gales of laughter go around the room. Apollo and Hermes had fallen of their thrones as they were laughing so hard.
"I can't breathe", Apollo gasps as he laughs.
"Percy I swear when you get back to your time I am going to have you help us prank certain people", Hermes says laughing.
"I second that!" Apollo adds.
Hera was chuckling a bit, "I bet you had a fit husband"
Aphrodite's laugh could also be heard, "Oh this is getting amusing"
Ares was roaring with laughter, "You at least have some balls"
Hephaestus was chucking on his throne, "How did you survive?"
Dionysus a mixed look on his face, "The brat should be vaporized. Maybe you should do it now Father"
Hestia was trying to hide a smile, "Well brother you must say this is refreshing"
Artemis actually look a little amused, "I wonder how you survived doing that"
Hades actually was roaring with laughter, "Oh how I wished I had been on Olympus to see Little Brothers face when that arrived!"
Athena and Poseidon didn't know whether to laugh or scold Percy. And Poseidon was watching his Brother to see if he needed to protect his son from him.
Zeus was speechless. Never had a Demigod been so brave to do something like that.
Demeter decided to continue before Zeus could decide what he wanted to do.
"They're not going to like that", Grover warns, "They'll think you're impertinent"
I poured some golden drachmas in the pouch. As soon as I closed it, there was a sound like a cash register, The package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop!
"I am impertinent", I say.
I looked at Annabeth, daring her to criticize.
She didn't. She seemed resigned to the fact that I had a major talent for ticking off the Gods.
"Come on", she mutters, "We need a new plan"
"Son why did you have to do that? Do you have a death wish?" Poseidon asks him.
"No. I just have a habit of pissing off Gods", Percy replies.
"How many?" Poseidon asks.
"Gods knows how many!" Nico says chucking.
"Actually they probably don't even know", Percy admits.
Poseidon groans, "I am going to go completely grey"
"You can't go grey", Percy points out.
"You sound like you are going to be the one to manage it", Poseidon retorts.
"Maybe you should invest in hair dye", Percy suggests trying to hide a smile.
That sets of another round of laughter from around the room…
Author's Note: What do you think? Please Review:)