Angelo

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Height: 5'7"

Eyes: Chocolatey Brown

Hair: Messy Black

Skin: Light Caramel

Looking back, I almost wanted to strangle my past self.

I wished I had never read it. I wish I wasn't so curious all the time. Why did I have to pick up the stupid note and wonder what the heck was written on it? I should've known that any random note with Ancient Greek writing is almost never a good sign. But no, oh no, I just had to pick it up and take it to one of my friends so she could translate it for me and figure out what it meant. Annabeth had warned me. I found her in Central Park enjoying the scenery and asked if she could decipher it. She said, "Are you sure you want me to translate this? I of all people should know that any random piece of paper with Ancient Greek script on it is usually a big no-no. It usually results in some form of evil monster or curse being summoned and then we have to go kill it and almost die in the process."

Of course, I was undeterred. "I reeaaallly want to know what this thing says," I told her. "You know how I am, Annabeth. I'm just gonna be wondering about this for the rest of my life. It's gonna drive me crazy not knowing what it says."

Annabeth sighed, relenting at last. "All right, fine. I'll translate the stupid piece of paper. But if we die, I'll kill you when we reach the Underworld."

Her tone was one of seriousness, yet a small smile was slowly taking over her expression. She took the note from my hands and read it aloud in Ancient Greek.

I had no idea what she said, considering how I have absolutely zero knowledge of Ancient Greek. She and the other demigods had tried to teach me, but I was hopeless. I could never remember what each word meant. Nevertheless, when she stopped reading, her face was white like she'd seen into the depths of Tartarus (which she actually had). She looked scared out of her mind. I've never seen her like that before.

"What is it?" I asked her. Her hands literally started to tremble. That's when I got really concerned. I poked her in the arm to get her attention. "Uhh, Annabeth?" I said. No answer. I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. She was really freaking me out. "Annabeth!" I shouted.

She blinked her eyes and flinched hard. The note fell from her quivering fingers. She slowly bent down to pick it up and looked me in the eye. "Angelo...this note is...I don't even have words."

"What does it say?" I asked again, growing more and more frightened.

She took a deep breath and composed herself. Then she read aloud, "He who finds this note shall be struck with the curse of the Gorgons. Despair, for death is now almost inevitable."

My heart skipped a beat. The Gorgons!? I thought to myself. This was bad. The Gorgons were really bad news. They were two immortal sisters who had been the stuff of nightmares for millennia. I had never met them personally, and I was glad for that. But the Curse Of The Gorgons sounded downright terrible.

I struggled to even speak the words. "What is the Curse Of The Gorgons?"

Annabeth gave me that "Are you serious?" look she usually saves for Percy (okay, and sometimes me when I have my infamous ADHD Brain moments). She shook her head and said, "I-I've read about this curse. Whoever gets struck by it gets hunted by the Gorgons for the rest of their life. Even when they reach their old age, the Gorgons will still hunt them down. They can't be killed at all when the curse is active, not by the cursed person or anyone else. That only slows them down, and then they get right back to the chase."

My heart dropped like a broken elevator. From what Percy told me, the Gorgons were relentless. He had to deal with them when the Doors Of Death were open, so he couldn't kill them until they were closed and monsters could die like normal. If what Annabeth said was true, then it wouldn't matter if the Doors of Death were sealed with Gorilla Tape and glue and locked in a vault of titanium with 24-hour surveillance by the gods themselves. The Gorgons would hunt me down forever until they killed me. That didn't seem like a very pleasant way to go out.

It probably wasn't likely, but I asked anyway. "Is there any way to undo the curse?"

Annabeth stared at the paper so hard I thought her gaze was gonna burn a hole in the note. "There is, but it's risky."

"Everything we do is risky. You guys are demigods," I replied.

Annabeth nodded. She couldn't argue with that fact (which was a first for me). "Okay, so the Curse Of The Gorgons is all about the Gorgons, right? So that means that the only way to undo it is to use something from the Gorgons. I read that to undo the curse, you must be turned to stone by Medusa's head right before the Gorgons kill you. When the Gorgons strike you while you turn to stone, the curse is undone and they go back from whence they came. You also get un-stonified, so don't worry about that."

My spirits lifted just a tiny bit. There was a way to undo the curse, and I was forever grateful for that. "Well, where is Medusa's head?" I asked her. "I assume you don't have it conveniently stashed in your pocket?"

Annabeth thought for a moment. "My mother has it. She has it bronzed at the center of her shield, Aegis." she told me.

I was about to say, "Then let's go to your mom and get that head!" when I heard rustling in the bushes behind us. We both froze and turned to look at the trembling shrubbery which wasn't supposed to tremble by itself.

"Run?"

"Run."

We both tore down the jogger's path, going as fast as we could. We only made it a few yards from the bushes when two forms burst out of the green. I didn't get a good look at them since I was currently running for my life, but based on their bloodthirsty shrieking, I was pretty sure those were the monsters we were talking about. I heard one of them shout, "There! Get the boy!" and my heart started beating almost as fast as I was running. We both poured on the speed.

"Annabeth!" I shouted while running. "How do we get to your mom? She's Athena, right?"

"Yeah!" she shouted back, not even breaking a sweat while sprinting at full speed. "We need to get to the Empire State Building! That's the entrance to Mount Olympus!"

I looked up at the buildings around us. I barely saw the top of the spire of the building. "There!" I pointed at the skyscraper. "Can we make it?"

Another bloodthirsty cry answered that question. It came from behind us. I risked a glance behind us and saw the Gorgons flying toward us with small bat wings protruding from their backs. Percy never told me they had wings, but I guess I never asked. Either way, they were gaining on us.

"I have an idea!" I said as I pointed ahead. "My bike is right there! I'm gonna take it and ride it around to distract the Gorgons! They're obviously after me, not you! I'll make a few big loops and meet you at the Empire State Building!"

Annabeth looked at me with shock. "What!? Angelo, no!" she cried. "They're going to catch you! We need to find another way to–"

"NO!" I responded. "The bike is faster, and we obviously can't run all the way to the Empire State Building! I'll see you there!"

I jumped on my bike as Annabeth ran past me with one last worried look. I looked behind me at the fast-approaching monsters. They had snake hair that whipped around in all directions as they flew straight at me.

I shouted at them to get their attention (even though I already had it), "Hey, snake breath! Come and get me!"

I kicked up my kickstand and sped off.

The Gorgons let out another shriek and gave pursuit.

I debated where to go next. Crowds were obviously a big no-no. Not only would it be a bad idea since I was on a bike, but I didn't want innocent people getting hurt by monsters that were out for me. I also couldn't go to a big open space because flying creatures can pick up a lot of speed that way.

I just needed to be unpredictable and go to places they surely wouldn't expect. I decided to stay in Central Park and stay under the cover of trees. There weren't many people around, which was good. The path wound under many trees, meaning the Gorgons would either have to fly low to the ground or stay high up in the air.

I didn't know how long it would take Annabeth to reach the Empire State Building. I would just have to hold off the Gorgons as long as I could.

After going a few laps around Central Park, my legs started to burn. My lungs also began to hurt, so I stopped and jumped off my bike. The Gorgons stopped ten feet off the ground in front of me, hovering in midair.

One of them spoke. "Do you give up, boy?" she said." You do realize that running is pointless and only prolongs the inevitable?"

I stood my ground and grinned. "No, I just needed to distract you for a little bit."

SHK! The left sister shrieked as an arrow struck her in the ribs. The other one fell as multiple arrows pierced her wings. Both sisters writhed on the ground in pain as I ran forward, my hand moving to my wrist. I hit a button on my watch and it transformed, elongating into a long weapon with a deadly point. Then I lunged, a sword in my hands, and brought down the blade on one Gorgon's neck. She exploded into a pile of yellow dust. I stabbed the other through the chest, and she too exploded into a mound of monster dust.

I stood straight and grinned at the tree on my left. "Thanks, Will!"

Concealed in the tree, the archer smiled back at me. "No problem, Angelo!" Will shouted back. "You better go to Annabeth before these things reform. Good luck!"

I nodded and jumped back on my bike. I sped off towards the famous skyscraper.

I made it about halfway when another cry pierced the air. I looked behind me and saw the two Gorgons flying toward me again.

Quickly, I turned down an alley to try and lose them. They flew right past the alley before turning back and chasing me again. I took a sharp right out of the alley and saw the Empire State Building at the end of the road. I saw Annabeth waiting for me, searching for any sign of me and the two monsters. She saw me racing towards her and waved her arms.

I was almost there when he heard the Gorgons burst out of the alley with another bloodthirsty screech (I hoped all that shrieking wasn't doing anything to their throats). I ditched the bike and ran up the steps to Annabeth.

"Finally!" she said. "I was so worried! Let's go!"

We dashed inside the building. The two Gorgons stopped at the doors and landed on the ground.

One of them said," You cannot hide in there forever, boy," she said. "You will have to come out eventually, and we will be waiting for you."

Mildly terrified, I turned away and followed Annabeth to the receptionist's desk, where a guy was sitting there reading a book.

"Hi, we need to get to the 600th floor of the building, please," she said.

The guy looked up from his book and studied us with the most bored expression of all time. I've seen kids in freaking social studies class with expressions more vibrant than his.

"There is no 600th floor, kid," he said. "Move along."

"Listen," I said. "There are two monsters trying to kill me right now. We need to get Athena's shield so I can save my rear end from a painful demise and all that. Please just let us through."

The guy looked at us again, then heaved a dramatic sigh. He reached under the desk and put a card on top. "Elevator on your left, make sure no one else is with you."

"Thank you so much," Annabeth said as she grabbed the card. Nodding to me, we both ran to the elevator.

We stepped into the elevator on the left like the receptionist said. She held up the card in her hands.

"Is this going to work?" I said.

Annabeth smiled. "Trust me, it will."

She put the card into a slot under the buttons and the elevator shot upward. The car rocked and creaked as we ascended to the 600th floor of the building. When it stopped and the doors opened, we found someone waiting for us already.

The goddess Athena stood before us with her full battle armor and shield.

"Hello, Annabeth. Angelo," she said, inclining her head in greeting.

Annabeth smiled. "Hi, Mom."

I, on the other hand, wasn't sure whether to bow scream, or punch her in the face. I was not expecting her to be waiting for us.

Athena offered the shield to Annabeth. "I understand you may need this. Please be careful with it, and of course, good luck."

"Thanks, Mom." Annabeth said as she took the shield.

"Thank you, Athena," I said, being respectful so I didn't get blasted to cinders.

The elevator door closed and we descended back to the lobby. When the doors opened, I saw the Gorgons still waiting outside.

I turned to Annabeth. "Wait here. If they see you with the shield, they might know what's up, and then this whole plan won't work. When I have their full attention, come out with the shield. When I say "now," run at me with the shield so I look directly at the face of Medusa. Got it?"

Annabeth nodded. She turned the shield so the face of Medusa didn't accidentally turn anyone to stone.

I strode out of the elevator and walked toward the Gorgons like I was meeting them for pizza. My heart was racing and my palms began to sweat. Nevertheless, I confidently walked out of the doors and faced the Gorgons.

They bared their teeth and growled. They knew victory was near. "Any last words, boy?" one of them said.

I took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say...wow. You guys are really good hunters."

The Gorgons looked at each other, confused. I know I would be in their shoes. Did their prey just…compliment them?

I walked past them, right in between the two sisters, and turned around so I could see into the lobby while making the monsters face me. With a slight nod, Annabeth started creeping toward the doors with the shield. This would be a little tight.

I continued. "You guys are relentless, in a good way. I killed you both, and yet you still managed to find me when I was long gone. That's impressive."

The other sister bared her teeth in a hungry grin. "Yes, no prey escapes us. We never forget a scent. Even after death, we managed to track you down effortlessly. You were simply too slow."

"I know," I said, keeping a close eye on Annabeth, who was getting closer and closer to the door. "And that was my mistake. But let's say you guys took longer to reform and I was faster. How far would I have needed to go before you guys lost my scent?"

Both Gorgons laughed. "You are under the Curse Of The Gorgons, boy. You cannot run from us, no matter how far you travel, no matter the distance between us. We would have hunted you down until you turned old and died or you perished at our hand. Even then, what life is a life lived in constant fear of being killed?"

"I agree," I said. Annabeth was at the door now, nudging it open with her foot. "But now, I still have one more thing left to say," I announced.

"And what would that be?" the right sister questioned.

I looked them in the eye, one at a time, and said, "Honestly…your breath smells like rotten flesh and mice."

The Gorgons growled and their fingernails turned into claws. They did not look happy at all.

"Now you will die!" the left sister said. "PERISH!"

"NOW!" I shouted.

Annabeth burst out the door, shield facing me. I made eye contact with the face of Medusa in the shield, and I immediately felt my calves hardening. Then the stone raced up my legs, almost instantly enveloping my torso and down my arms. The last thing I saw was the Gorgons with their claws outstretched, lunging to kill me.

And then it was black.

And then I heard the wails.

The stone came off of me just as quickly as it had encased me. The Gorgons had their claws on me, but they were stuck on my chest where they had tried to rip it open like a birthday present. They began to glow and shriek incoherently as they tried to free their hands. With one final cry, they burst into fragments of light and disappeared.

It was over.

I let loose the biggest sigh of my life. Finally, I could relax. I collapsed to the ground and lay there, trying to calm my pounding heart. Annabeth stood over me, still holding the shield. "You okay?" she asked me.

I laughed weakly. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I croaked. "I'm just gonna…lay here for a little bit, maybe take a nap."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and dropped the shield. She grabbed my arms and hoisted me off the ground.

"Okay, I'll get up," I groaned, but I couldn't help but grin. The Curse Of The Gorgons had finally been broken and I could stop fearing for my life now.

"Sooo," Annabeth started. "After I take this shield back to my mom, you wanna go grab a pizza or something?"

I shook my head and laughed. "Why do you even have to ask me that?" I said.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot I was talking to Angelo, Lord Of The Pizzas." she said with exaggerated sarcasm and we both burst into laughter.

She went to return the shield, and after that, we went to enjoy some post-survival pizza.

Mm, pizza.

Just a bit of shorter story based on an idea I had one day. Nothing crazy.

Thank you so much for reading, and remember to Stay Epic, Demigods.