DISCLAIMER: All the characters except the OC's, belong to Rick Riordan.
Chapter 18: We Visit a Sculptor in the Gnome Emporium
Trouble soon followed them into the quest.
The trio sat in silence as Argus drove them out of the countryside and into the western Long Island. Most demigods are ADHD, which isn't great for a car ride. Annabeth stared at everything out of the window while Piper hummed to a random tune. After two weeks in an isolated camp, the real world felt surreal for Percy.
When traffic slowed them in Queens, Annabeth turned to them, apparently bored at the slow passing cars. "Guys! What's it like living in the outside world?" she asked abruptly.
"Before that, how did Chris come to know about us leaving on a quest?" he asked back. They'd agreed not to let anyone trail them, but Chris arrived at their appointed time like he knew where they had agreed to meet.
"Oh," she looked apologetic. "I told him. I didn't say anything important, though." she amended quickly, noticing his ugly looks. "He was loitering around the Big House and I kinda slipped up." Percy nodded. She probably had been too excited and spilled a few beans to Chris on her way.
"My turn," Piper interrupted his train of thoughts. "Perce, how's the Oracle? I heard from the campers that it's freaky." she grinned like a Cheshire cat.
He shuddered involuntarily, remembering the gruesome Mummy and the bizarre attic filled with broken trophies. "It'd make a horror movie with simple ominous background music." Silence enveloped them. In the front seat, Argus didn't say anything, but one blue on his nape stared at them, listening to their talk.
"Percy, you still don't trust me, do you?" Annabeth asked when he didn't respond to her earlier inquiry. She went on before he could respond. "Is it because of our parent's feud? I agree I haven't made a good impression but this is much more important." She bit her lips. Percy's lips curled in mockery. Who was he to get involved in a feud between two Olympians?
She told them about her dream with Athena, and how the Goddess of Wisdom agreed to place their grudges aside for the bigger picture. "So I want to help you since I've decided to accompany you on this quest. That was—"
"Annabeth," he interrupted her spiel. "What's this big picture you speak of?" he continued watching her speechless expression. "Let's put aside that for now since we don't know the real reason behind the theft and the actual motive behind our quest. But should you really trust a person you've met a week ago? A person you know nothing of? A person who could turn out to be your enemy?"
Annabeth stared at him, wide-eyed, and sank into contemplation. He knew she would feel wrongfooted. And it'd probably hurt her more than she was willing to admit once she learns the truth. But if she wanted to tag along, it was all she was going to get; a reluctant alliance filled with doubts and suspicions, for now.
He wondered himself what he thought of her. They hadn't known each other for long, and he still couldn't decide whether he liked her, even after Piper told him she was above suspicion. Though she's a little stubborn, beneath all that pride and aloofness, he thought she was probably a decent person. Of course, there was the inalienable fact about her association with Luke, the real culprit behind the theft, that threw a wrench in the whole friendship business.
Not that he needed it, anyway. Who knows where he might end up once the quest was completed. He decided not to waste too much time thinking about it. He would keep an eye on her, and leave the future things to the future him.
"Perce, tell me about the Minotaur. I was completely out cold the whole time. And Grover only gave me a few glimpses of what he saw." Piper interjected. She probably asked this to distract Annabeth, who perked up a little.
To keep the conversation running, he gave an impromptu narration of his fight with the legendary beast. When it came to the Minotaur's choice of outfit, both girls looked at him, their gazes questioning: what in the Hades is happening in the Underworld?
Percy smiled wryly. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not a native of the Underworld. I'm as clueless as you are." Even he was freaked out a little at the disturbing fashion sense. He hoped the female humanoid monsters like the empousei wouldn't pop up in gaudy colored undergarments. A mental image of Kelly in a bright pink bra made him shudder involuntarily.
He hoped the residents of Atlantis didn't develop this disturbing fashion sense. Watching him tremble lightly, Piper's mouth curled into a mischievous grin.
"What's with the reaction, like you're reliving past trauma?" she teased.
"I'm not reliving anything!" he snapped. They both looked at each other before devolving into uncontrollable laughter.
"Don't be like that, you two." Annabeth crossed her arms huffily. "We're on a serious mission here," she said and stared out of the window, but the duo caught her lips quirk up. She probably stifled a smile to reprimand them.
"Aw, don't be like that, Annie...beth" Piper added quickly, noticing the menacing look on the blonde. He had been told Annabeth hated being called anything other than 'Annabeth'.
They reached Manhattan by sunset and Argus dropped them at the Greyhound station. Once he made sure they got their bus tickets, he took off, lost in the sea known as Manhattan traffic. They were on their own. He observed Annabeth glancing at the billboards surrounding them in nervousness. He understood the enormity was starting to overwhelm her but wasn't in a position to comfort her. For someone raring to go on a quest from a young age, the moment has finally arrived where she'd to do or die.
The next bus to Los Angeles was in an hour. To keep his restlessness in check, he observed his surroundings for monsters. The three of them, in the middle of the city, would be like a glaring lighthouse on a stormy night. His eyes roved over the bored ticket-sellers, passengers in business suits, and a baseball team in the station; everyone seemed pretty normal.
Then the bus pulled in, "Well, this is us." Piper announced. "L.A., here we come!"
The sky turned overcast and it started raining. When they got in line, Percy felt a pair of eyes watching him intently. The feeling got intense in no time with more eyes deeply focused on him but failed to pinpoint the location and identity of his stalker. They got on board and found their seats in the back. He finally felt relieved and scrunched down in his seat when the bus pulled out of the station onto the streets.
"Don't be nervous, Annabeth." Piper joked and laughed, but Percy couldn't join her since he too had been nervous while boarding the bus. He had been sure they were tailed to the Greyhound station but to lose their assailants halfway made him a little disconcerting.
When the bus stopped at the next station, Annabeth looked out the window and turned fidgety. He glanced out and saw them: a trio of old ladies approaching the bus bay. They wore crumpled velvet dresses and carried paisley purses. Their faces were hidden under gaudy hats and they were stooped over their walking sticks, but their gait was clearly not the slow hobble of elderly people.
As they came closer to the bus, he heard Annabeth gasp beside him. He couldn't fault her since he too saw the gnarled fingers of the old ladies curled over their sticks like claws. Monsters. He was sure of the signs. The one in the orange hat sniffed the air and beckoned the other two and joined the queue for their bus.
"Percy!" Annabeth said urgently, reaching out for him. She missed his hand and clamped his knee. "We have to get out of here."
When the three boarded the aisle, he got a clear look at them when the one in the lead tilted her head up. Her dark eyes glittered maliciously. It was Mrs. Dodds. A completely new look—older, more withered—with the same face and look of hatred. She was with her companions this time.
A triplet demon grandmother.
The Furies might not have located them yet—they'd settled at the front, just behind the driver, their bright hats above the headrest giving away their position—but in an enclosed bus trundling down the downpour, they would have plenty of time to sniff them out.
Percy's companions caught on quickly and brainstormed for ideas. He'd have preferred to end them quickly, but a bus full of passengers would obstruct his reach. Besides, who knows what the mortals might see in the mist. He forced himself to think a quick solution.
"it's okay, The Furies," Annabeth said, thinking hard. "The eternal tormentors under Hades. The three worst monsters from the Underworld.." He almost snapped at her for giving them a run-down of the monsters they were facing.
"You said she'd take a long time to recover!" he felt like a fool to believe her reasoning in one of her classes. Though monsters took centuries to reform, the Furies were primordial deities, born from Ouranos' blood and raised in Tartarus. They probably didn't need much time to return.
"I said if you were lucky. You're obviously not." Annabeth snapped in fear. "It's okay, we'll just..." She glanced around, "Windows. We'll slip out of the windows." Just to humor her, Percy tried the window on his side. It wouldn't budge.
"They don't open!" Piper groaned. "There's no back exit either. Who made this junk!"
Either way, I don't think we can't jump off a running bus.
"They won't attack with this many mortals around, would they?" Annabeth asked hopefully. "I mean, the mist won't cover up everything, right!"
"Hard to say." Piper, the mist expert interjected. "The mortals might see us getting mugged or some old ladies attempting CPR. We can't count on mortals." she reminded.
The bus crossed Ninth Avenue and hit the Lincoln Tunnel. The bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. Annabeth nearly screamed and Percy clamped her mouth. The absence of the rain on the rooftop made the interior eerily quiet, except for their faint breathing.
"Pipes, couldn't you hide us from them until we get off the bus?" he asked. He could teleport out of the bus, but the number of passengers made him hesitate. He couldn't leave one or the other behind with the Furies. Their best chance was to get out before they found them.
"They're ancient archetypes and servants of Hades. The mist wouldn't fool them easily too. I could hide one but not all." He understood her implied meaning. Even if she wanted to hide Annabeth with her using the mist, she was helpless about it.
"I've got it," before he could come up with a crazy idea, Annabeth slipped her Yankees cap into his hands. "Percy, take my hat and turn invisible. Go up the aisle and let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."
"No!" he denied. He was the one with the most escapable options among the trio, and here was Annabeth, handing her last self-preservation method to him. "I'm not leaving you behind," he told them.
"You're the one they want. And there's an outside chance they might not notice us." Annabeth reasoned. "Go!" Piper nodded.
"Exactly. Slip past them and wait for an opportunity. I'll try to manipulate the Mist to mask your scent." though their idea sounded plausible, there were a lot of risks involved. They will be in the open in a confined space, hard to defend. Besides, his leaking aura couldn't be hidden from them. They'd boarded the bus after confirming his scent. They'll definitely notice him missing.
An idea popped into his head. His fingers tightened around the Yankees cap.
The three ladies stood up at the front. "I need to use the restroom." Mrs. Dodds announced in a flat tone. Her sisters concurred with her and all of them came down the aisle.
"Piper, take the hat and slip past them. They won't sense you. You're the only one fit for it." he pressed the cap into her hands. Annabeth looked a little confused but didn't object to him. "We'll divert and distract them while you sneak behind them. Go now." Annabeth nodded.
Piper slipped the cap and disappeared down the aisle. As expected, the Furies ignored her and descended on them. Percy saw the eager look on Mrs. Dodds, ready to dish out some revenge for her disgrace last time. They'd shed their mortal appearance, becoming creatures of nightmares: shriveled gray hag bodies with leathery bat wings sprouting from their shoulders. Their faces were still the same—he guessed those couldn't get any uglier—and the hands clutching their purses turned into claws holding glowing whips that crackled with fiery energy. Only the bright hats remained, perched absurdly on their heads.
Percy took out his ballpoint pen while Annabeth drew her dagger from her sleeve, ready to wing it in the close space with a handful of witnesses. "It'll be okay," Annabeth promised, though he saw through her effort not to tremble and stay courageous.
"We don't need to kill them. Defend till the bus stops," he suggested. The Furies stopped sniffing and surrounded them.
"Where is it?" Mrs. Dodds screeched. Percy almost flew into a rage when he heard her. Instead of searching for the lost item, they'd hounded him. Purple-hat smacked her whip on the seat in front of Annabeth, slicing right through a mortal. It didn't hurt the man but scorched his seat.
He started to scream. Alarms blared in the bus, bathing everyone in red light. The passengers started to scream when the bus lurched to left. The Furies were thrown off-balance into empty seats across the aisle. The passengers screamed and scrambled out of the way. Percy had no idea what the mist was showing them, but he bet it couldn't be as scary as three enraged grandmas threatening them with whips.
"Where is it? We know you have it!" Purple-hat growled. The bus was swinging madly that the Furies were having trouble climbing over each other to get back up to them. Percy and Annabeth drove their weapons into nearby headrests to keep themselves from swinging towards the Furies.
"I told you I didn't take it. Leave me alone!" he yelled over the commotion, dodging the fiery whips crackling at him. The bus took another sharp turn. Green-hat flew towards him and Percy swung his blade at her. She managed to avoid it, scrambling to the side at the last second.
Whatever was going on with the bus—he suspected Piper—the driver had finally had enough, because, with another turn, the bus careened out of the Tunnel, back into the rainstorm. With a violent screech of tires, the bus hit the brakes and crashed into the trees on the New Jersey rural roads.
The passengers nearly stampeded the Furies and charged to the doors, leaving three disoriented demigods with withered grandma-demons. The Furies regained their bearings and advanced on them, their whips crackling through the air.
"Perseus Jackson, you've offended the gods. You shall die for your sins!" Mrs. Dodds snarled, in her strange Georgian accent. Her two sisters clambered over the seats, baring their fangs menacingly.
"I liked you better as a Math teacher," he shot back. She growled and followed him into the empty aisle, far from Annabeth. Purple-hat rounded Annabeth and whipped her furiously.
"Stay back!" Annabeth screamed and brandished her dagger.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Piper silently reappear at the entrance and nocked an arrow at them. He took the ballpoint pen and brandished the double-edged sword at Green-hat. Mrs. Dodds halted. She'd felt the weapon before, how unexpected it might've been.
"Submit now," She hissed, though she sounded less certain about it. "And you will not suffer eternal torment." Her claws tensed around her whip, focusing on Percy. Green-hat crouched on his left, preparing to pounce. Purple-hat perched on a headrest, ready to lash at Annabeth.
"Hey, floppy grandma!"
The Furies' heads whipped around so quickly, that their hats flew off in unison. It would probably have been funny if not for their fiery whips. Piper had chosen the moment to show herself at the front of the bus, an arrow nocked ready. A half-second later, Green-hat exploded into yellow dust.
Percy swiveled his sword at Mrs. Dodds. She managed to avoid it, scrambling out of Piper's aim. At the far end, he saw Annabeth deflect a whiplash, swinging her dagger in a blind arc. Her small frame and reach against the perched Fury with a whip made a terrible combination.
He pitched two flying knives at Purple-hat to distract it. His timing couldn't be any better; he threw the knives at the same time when both the Fury and Annabeth prepared their respective moves. If the Purple-hat tried to deflect or dodge his blades, she'd be in Annabeth's range. If she had jumped away from Annabeth, she would be locked in for one of his daggers.
The Purple-hat lashed her whip at his daggers, firmly believing them to be far more dangerous than a knife-wielding demigod, and pounced on Annabeth. Taking an unarmed Fury in a small space was a cinch for the latter. She took the Fury into a choke-hold, slammed her to the ground, and brought down her dagger in a mad swing.
Purple-hat vanished behind a puff of yellow sand, leaving behind a dying screech.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Dodds swerved Piper's arrows and dodged his strikes. Just as she intended to regroup with her sister, a dying wail reverberated on the bus. Mrs. Dodds yowled and pounced on him, disregarding Piper's arrows. Just as she reached up to claw his face, something yanked her from behind. She tumbled over the aisle, overturning the seats on the side.
It appeared Annabeth had managed to trip the Fury with a whip and shoved her backward into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds hissed and cursed them, trying to get up, but she didn't have enough room to flap her wings; she kept falling down.
"Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!"
At the mention of Zeus, the hair on his nape stood on its end. Thunder rumbled above, shaking the bus. He exchanged a look with Annabeth.
"Get out!" Piper called from the entrance. He didn't need any encouragement. He scrambled towards the entrance.
"Percy, our—" he cut off Annabeth and dragged her out of the bus. They rushed outside and found other passengers wandering around in a daze. A few argued with the driver. They were on a rural road, with woods on their left and Hudson river to their right. A dozen or so cars got plowed to the side because of the bus, causing a massive roadblock on the highway.
"Percy, we left our bags!" Annabeth reminded, but nothing registered in his mind. His palm felt warm and sticky.
BOOOOM!
The windows on the bus exploded, glass shrapnel scattered out and lightning shredded a crater on the roof. The passengers screamed and ran for cover. Percy dragged Annabeth behind a dented car, not before a few shrapnel scraped their arms. The bus soon turned into a ball of flames with a wailing Fury still out for his blood stuck inside. The outraged wails turned into miserable shrieks.
Sirens and camera clicks filled the area, with a few passengers running around in circles. A few cameras turned to him before he could hide away his sword.
"Run!" Annabeth urged him. "She's calling for reinforcements!" She clutched her injured arm.
"We need to get out of here before authorities capture and question us," Piper informed and took off invisibly. He caught Annabeth's uninjured hand and made a run for the woods, away from the New Jersey's hustle-bustle.
oOo
They didn't stop until they were miles away, completely drenched. The Hudson river filled to the brim in the heavy downpour, its smell assaulting them. Annabeth slowed down first, breathing hard. Adrenaline could only bring her so forth. The trio slowed into a trot, panting for breath. Piper materialized beside them.
"All our supplies were left on the bus. I only have my spare clothes." she hefted her bag. "The farther we get away, the better." she tugged at his shirt.
Percy glanced at Annabeth, panting for breath, and signaled Piper to quiet down. Though his bag only had a set of spare clothes, he didn't know anything about Annabeth. Her right arm was badly scraped with glass splinters. Her left palm was filled with red splotches and burnt marks—her souvenir for touching a Fury's whip—trickling black blood. The rainwater had already healed him completely and Piper had been fine from the start.
"I'll scout the area ahead, then. I'm borrowing your cap, Annabeth." Piper took off into the woods. She paused for a moment and returned. After a quick hug, she jogged down the woods once again. If Annabeth found this weird, she didn't mention it right away.
He helped Annabeth to her feet slowly. Her camp t-shirt was torn at the sleeves and midriff. "We can't go back to camp, but need to gather supplies somehow," she said.
"Here, let me try something," he remembered an old legend. He's yet to try it on others, but they were out of options. He took her palms in his. "Sorry!" he apologized when she winced in pain. He summoned the groundwater towards him, and by extension, to Annabeth. The water climbed up his legs to their linked hands to Annabeth's injured arm. The change occurred immediately. The scrapes, splotches, and cuts on her arms began to recede as water glided on her skin. Within seconds, the large gashes were replaced with pale bruises, like she'd scraped a tree instead of glass shrapnel.
Sweat coagulated on his forehead; it took his entire focus to extend his healing abilities on Annabeth through groundwater. This was his limit, for now. Saltwater might've helped him, but he chose not to add salt to her injuries, even for a little bit. Annabeth sighed in relief and checked her arm in wonder. "This is amazing, Percy. Thanks!" She shivered slightly.
So he dropped her hands and poked her forehead a few times. It might look like he was messing around with her, but he traced an Atlantean blessing that remains active for a short while. Annabeth must've misunderstood his intentions since he watched in amusement as a faint red dusted her cheeks, spreading across her face to the tip of her ears.
"What was that!?" she squeaked, her voice a notch higher than usual.
"Nothing." With that, he trudged along the path Piper picked. She quickly fell in line with him. "It's getting dark. We need to find a place for the night." she reminded, trying to forget her earlier outburst.
"Yeah, Piper went ahead to scout. We need to refill our supplies too," he added.
"She's good at manipulating the Mist. Couldn't she steal for us?" she proposed. If it was before, he'd have gotten annoyed at her antics. But after surviving a life-threatening crisis together, his ire and doubts about her had dulled completely. Trust a daughter of Athena to openly suggest stealing.
To humor her, he glanced around the woods innocently, "And where do you want me to steal our 'supplies' from?" he asked. "You sure you're Athena's and not Hermes'?" he teased.
"Haha, you're real funny!" she quipped, but her flaming face has yet to turn normal. They trailed behind, picking up the clues Piper had left for them. The city glow and the thunderstorm faded, leaving them in complete darkness, which was fine with him. He could clearly see Annabeth quietly close the distance between them, their arms brushing occasionally.
"Is this your first time outside of camp? You haven't left at all?" he asked.
"Only short field trips. It didn't work out for me living at home." she rushed her words. "At camp, you train and train. That's cool and everything, but the real world is where monsters roam around. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not..."
Percy listened to her rant silently. Her cabin fever and dogma to prove herself were much more severe than he'd thought initially. How he wished for a secure life at camp, to train in peace and stable environment. Annabeth doesn't know what most of the struggling demigods actually feel in the real world. Which was why...
"So, now you know whether you're good?" his voice was tight.
"No," Annabeth agreed. "It's not enough. Frankly, I wasn't looking forward to another adventure so soon after the Furies, but it had been my dream to travel the world; to see the great monuments described in books." her expression turned forlorn.
"Percy, we aren't lost, right?" she asked hesitantly, after trudging the woods for an hour.
"Nope, Piper's a hundred meters away." he pointed the way to her. Annabeth looked uncertain at first before her face morphed into realization.
"So, you're telling me you could sense her that far, even with my invisibility cap on?" she sounded amazed. "Is that how you knew I've been watching you all the time?"
His lips curved into a smile. "Not exactly. When you stare at someone for long, you'll eventually get caught, invisible or not." Annabeth smacked her forehead and looked gratifyingly impressed with his response. He realized it was the first time he'd answered her straight without hiding anything.
"Percy!" she suddenly shrieked. His senses immediately went on high alert, but unable to find any ambush or other living things near him. He turned to her.
"What is it, this time?" a faint trace of annoyance crept into his tone.
"I'm dry!" she exclaimed. "I'm completely dry in this heavy downpour. This is amazing." she wrung her dry t-shirt for water. Looking at her, he was caught between amusement and annoyance.
"Hurrah! You caught on quick!" she caught onto his sarcasm and fell in line with him. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
"In the bus, I saw the knife. Thanks for that." he nodded.
They emerged from the edge of the woods and a heavenly smell of fried chicken and hamburgers wafted towards them. Piper stood to the side waiting for them. The trio let their noses lead them until they arrived at a deserted two-lane road through the trees. At the far end of the road were a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard of some old movie, and one open business; the source of the glaring neon sign and the smell of delicious food.
It wasn't some fast-food joint like Percy had hoped. It was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that. Percy had visited one of them with Piper's dad for collecting an art souvenir. The main building was a long warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. His eyes refused to focus on the lurid neon sign. It looked like ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROUIM.
"What does that mean?" Annabeth squinted at the board. Percy tried hard to make out the words. "Aunty Em's...Garden...Gnome...Emporium." True to the name, the entrance was flanked by two ugly garden gnomes waving at them. The heavenly smell wafted to them once more.
"I smell burgers," Annabeth slurred.
"And fried chicken," he added. She nodded wistfully. "Hungry!" they both began to make their way until Piper yanked Annabeth back and smacked Percy.
"What!" They both turned to her. She stomped her foot in frustration.
"Don't you find this suspicious? A deserted roadside shop with the weirdest name, the tantalizing smell that was too good to be true. This store sells gnomes but why do you smell food? This is obviously a front!" she said, tapping her foot against the concrete road impatiently. Percy's head cleared a little. Piper rocked Annabeth until her eyes turned normal. He filled her in.
It's kind of embarrassing, considering how much he'd prided himself on being able to discern the nature of things. He'd displayed more wisdom at the age of ten, against the beguiling deceitfulness of a group of Empousei. He would have rushed in head-first if not for Piper's insistence. He guessed it was a valuable lesson: hunger can totally warp your mind and dull your senses.
He took a deep breath, which proved to be a mistake. The smell of food was so overwhelming, that it shook his legs. He could faintly feel a presence in the warehouse, devoid of human life. A mythical creature, it is.
"What do we do? I'm tired of walking and could use some rest." Annabeth said.
"There's a heavy mist around the shop, making others blindly rush into a trap. There's an intelligent creature behind this." Piper asserted.
"So the smell and food are fake?" Annabeth asked gloomily.
"No. The food is real. The mist only amplifies the smell, dulling your senses to any dangers. If we could finish off the monster occupying the store, our food and shelter for the night are secured." Piper said.
"Agreed. Let's go bust some monster head then." he cracked his fingers, obviously trying to cover his early slip-up.
"Are you nuts?!" Annabeth shrieked.
"Jury's out." he threw back.
"Honestly...is this going to be okay?" Annabeth asked dubiously. "I mean, I don't doubt your skills anymore, but is this necessary? What if it's something big and we can't fight it? Why don't we leave and find something else?"
"Do you have a better plan?" he asked lightly.
"How about..." Annabeth started, thinking hard. Percy's eyes bored into her intently, making her absentminded, "we act like we're under her influence and attack at the first chance we get, instead of blindly charging in without any strategy." she finished.
"Great. Let's do that." He nodded. When he'd said they'd bust some monsters, he wasn't implying they rush in and fight straight on. But he wasn't about to argue with Annabeth over this. "Then we act like three very hungry normal teenagers looking for food. But don't breathe in the smell. Let's go."
"There's no need to act. We are three hungry teens searching for food." Piper joked. The trio stumbled into the entrance. The front lawn was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing reedpipes. They were so realistic and had terrified expressions. He ignored the weird feeling and knocked on the door.
The lady that answered was wearing a long black gown that covered everything but her old hands with well-manicured fingernails. She had a burqa, concealing her entire face except for a thin gauze across her eyes. Her attire raised his suspicion a little, but he could see clearly see two dark eyes peering curiously at him through the veil. Not a Cyclops, then.
She looked like an old grandma, living alone with the statues.
Her middle-eastern accent was fairly old, but she spoke with a gentle concern when she asked what they were doing out at night, without their parents. It was a normal, reasonable question, so he felt inclined to answer.
"Our parents are in a broken-down car a few miles ahead. They sent us to see if we could find some food while they repair it. We smelled really good food and thought you'd be our best bet." he conjured a lie, given their ramshackle appearance. Piper rolled her eyes and Annabeth looked like she wanted to smack his head, but Mrs. Burqa swallowed the tale.
"Oh, come on in. I made a large dinner for myself, but I doubt the visitors I was expecting would arrive at this late hour." she opened the door wide for them to enter.
"Thank you," Annabeth said.
Mrs. Burqa stiffened but relaxed quickly. "Quite alright, dear. You have such beautiful eyes, child." she went on with her introduction. "I am Aunty Em," she reached out to undo the wrap around her head. "You know, I can't see very well with this veil.."
"Not at all, ma'am," Piper interjected. "You look lovely in this outfit. In fact, you should maintain this style every day." she persuaded so much that Percy wanted to stuff his head in a wraparound himself.
"Ah, yes!" Mrs. Burqa agreed woodenly and led them inside. "The dining area is behind the warehouse. Please follow me." she locked the door behind them.
"Parents in a break-down car?" Annabeth poked Percy.
"Incredible right! Mortal-friendly, I thought so too," he said brightly, impressed with coming up with such a makeup story.
"Your head is full of kelp," she informed. He shrugged.
The warehouse is a sea of statues—bigger ones, with different poses and outfits, the kind that would probably make good decorations around fancy fountains. A maddening smell of burgers wafted over from the fast-food counter and a bunch of picnic tables at the far end. It'd take a while to reach with their slow steps.
Aunty Em appeared behind them suddenly, and Percy was forced to a small talk, to keep her from suspecting them. He had yet to find out her origin. With all the things at hand, he could only guess her as an Empousei, with a gnome-selling business as a front. Her mist manipulating ability had been awesome—she had almost lured him in, if not for Piper.
"So, you sell gnomes, then?" he tried to sound interested. Both girls perked their ears.
"Oh, yes." for some odd reason, she perked up talking to him. "Animals, people, whatnot. Anything for gardens. I do custom orders too. Statuary is popular, you know..."
Percy suddenly felt invasive as if there were a lot of eyes on him. But the entire warehouse only had four people—three, if the monster was excluded—except the statues. He glanced at one and found the statue's eyes seemed to follow him, trying to convey something.
Was it really the statues? He approached and studied the one nearest to him, the form of a beautiful woman in exquisite curves carved with incredible precision. The details were so intricate, he had to admire the artistry that had gone into it: the natural attractive curvature, individual hair clumped to her head, falling to her slim waist, a Greek tunic framed her body down to her thighs, long slender legs that had practically reached the pinnacle of perfection.
"Ah," Aunty Em exclaimed sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well." she sighed. "They're marred and do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face." True to her words, the statue's face looked as if she was startled, eyes panicked and mouth in a wide-open 'O'
"You make them yourself?" Piper sounded praised, but her question was laced with underlying intones.
"Oh, yes." Aunty Em replied cheerfully. "Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business," that statement gave a huge fright to Percy—he had been sure she was alone—but he relaxed quickly. "But they have passed on, leaving Aunty Em with only statues as a company." the sadness in her voice sounded deep and real that Percy slightly doubted her being a monster.
"Two sisters?" Annabeth hesitantly asked. She must've caught on to something, Percy listened to the old lady intently.
Aunty Em shook her head sorrowfully. "It's a terrible story. Not one for children, really." She didn't stop her tale though, which he hoped to know. "You see Annabeth," His eyes roved between Aunty Em and Annabeth. It was the same accent, way older than middle-east, far older than the existing civilization.
"A bad woman was jealous of me and my...boyfriend and determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident and my sisters shared my bad fortune as long they could, but they passed on eventually. I alone have survived but at a price. Such a price." her veiled gaze on Annabeth no longer felt normal and concerned. It was more...cold and calculative, as though the demigod had owed her something.
Her story tugged at a faint memory in his brain. He still couldn't tell if Aunty Em was dangerous—his impression of her was shifting from dubious to pitiful—but her story stuck a chord with him.
"Come on, children." Aunty Em urged them to the picnic tables. "It's been a long time since I had guests. Won't you accompany me, dears?" she sounded sad and wistful. "Now that you mention it, I can't see very well in this cursed thing." she reached up to undo the burqa around her head.
"Sure," he replied absentmindedly. Piper turned rigid next to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Annabeth hyperventilate. His eyes roved onto the statues nearby. Their terrified expressions reminded him of something from the past...
An abandoned warehouse filled with statues made of misshapen faces, the old woman in a veil. An accent from long ago, like Mrs. Dodds. Statues with terrified expressions, three sisters in a terrible accident, Status, old lady, Statues...
The reality of the situation hit him like a fast-approaching freight train. The sweet, old lady that had shared a pitiful story was in fact the gorgon Medusa. Gods of Olympus, how could he have walked straight into her lair. The urge to disappear right out of the building fought with the compulsion to warn his friends about the gorgon.
Who had almost lowered her burqa?
"Look away from her!" Annabeth yelled in panic. It was all the surprise he needed. Percy yanked the steel chair and pitched it at the gorgon. The three of the bolted towards the exit. The gorgon snarled and rose behind them, accompanied by rasping sounds.
The exit was locked shut. Percy appeared behind the statue of a burly man, and pressed it forward, towards the door. The statue slowly fell on the door, collapsing the wall with it. The trio jumped into the dust and disappeared behind a sea of statues in the front yard.
"Maia!" he heard Piper kick start her flying shoes and took off to the sky. Annabeth had slipped her invisible cap and slipped under one of the statues. He hid behind a clump of statues, directly facing the entrance. An orange garden-gazing ball was perched on a stand at his side. Under the headlight above the entrance, he watched reflection of the gorgon snarl and smash the burly statue blocking the entrance to bits.
With her black headdress gone, her face appeared as a shimmering pale circle above a dark robe. Her dusty gown, torn at the hem and sleeves, revealed her gnarly claws and scaly talons. Her hair stood on its end and writhed like serpents. Listening to the growing hissing noise, he realized those hairs had been serpents.
Medusa peered through the forest of statues for them. "The Gray-Eyed One did this to me, Percy," she said, but she didn't sound anything like a monster. Her voice was inviting and beguiling. It must've had some charm speak to it, the persuasive lure that Empousei were gifted with. "Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."
Later, he'd have wondered how Medusa had come to know their names. He wasn't going to stick around to find out about it, though. She wasn't attacking yet—must've wanted them as statues—and kept on trying to persuade him to reveal himself.
"Don't listen to her, Percy," Annabeth shouted invisibly, somewhere in the statutory. "Run!" she implored. He'd have smacked her head for revealing her position, if not for her concern for him. If he could trace out her general location, nothing needed to be said about Medusa.
"Gotcha!" A claw swung out towards a clump of statues to his right. A satisfactory hiss and a sudden yelp of pain made him realize that Annabeth's position had been revealed. He fished two daggers from his pocket and got ready. He jumped forward to a statue of a small girl and pressed it forward. As soon as the collapsed statue created a small disturbance, he hid behind a nearby cluster of statues with his head lowered.
The small puddles left behind by the heavy rain gave him a blurry vision. He watched the gorgon smash through the statues to arrive at the location, licking her claws with relish. "Hmm... I must destroy the girl, Percy." she purred. "She's my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust." she searched through the nearby statues for him. "But you dear, you need not suffer."
As if that was the best offer he'd heard in his entire life. Medusa sounded like she was giving him a generous condition.
"Do you really want to help the gods?" she crooned. "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy? What will happen once you reach the Underworld?"
He flexed his fingers around the daggers, ready to make them fly. Just as the gorgon searched through the area and neared his cluster, a whoosh and a thwack rang behind him, making Medusa roar with rage. From the corner of his eyes, he managed to make out a stone head nosedive at the gorgon. It was Piper. How she had managed to trace out Medusa's position, he didn't know. But all he needed at the moment was time.
"You meddlesome demigod!" Medusa snarled. "I'll add you to my collection!"
He dashed forward and pitched his daggers in her direction. It didn't matter if he managed to land a hit. All they had to do was cover for each other while they escape. They repeated the strategy twice and managed to deck her hard. He collected his breath behind pair of statue lovers.
"Annabeth?" he whisper-yelled.
"Here!" she took off her Yankees cap and became visible. She had three ugly cut marks on her neck, raked by Medusa's talons; he orange t-shirt partially dyed red. "You have to cut off her head!"
Percy looked at her incredulously. What does she think he had been doing until then? The only problem is he couldn't get close to her, or accidentally look her in the eye. "Do you have a plan, then?"
There were more yells and whooshes as Piper rained arrows on Medusa. She kept on dodging hunks of statues thrown at her, doing acrobatics mid-air, like a nimble flying elf. She was doing a fantastic job, but he didn't know how much longer she'd keep it up. Annabeth nudged Percy.
"How's she doing that?" she sound amazed. He was too, only he knew the trouble she'd get into later on. "But she can't keep up much longer. She's using her ability to trace Medusa. This isn't good." he admitted.
Annabeth looked around, trying to see if she could use anything. He thought back to how his namesake had slain the Medusa in the myths. The only problem: Medusa had been asleep when she was attacked by Perseus. She was nowhere near asleep now. Perseus had been gifted with Hermes' winged shoes, Zeus' sword, and a glistening bronze shield by Athena.
Riptide grew warm in his hands. He clutched his trusted pen tightly. Piper had Hermes' winged shoes. The only thing they lacked now is...
"Percy!" Piper's panicked voice, calling for help brought him back. She's nearing her limit. Medusa's roars reverberated in the stone forest.
"Here!" Annabeth picked up a green-gazing ball from a nearby pedestal. Percy looked at her quizzically. "A shield would be better," she admitted and studied the ball critically. "Use this. The convexity will cause some distortion. The reflection's size should be off by a factor of—" she rambled.
"Would you speak English?" fear made him snappish.
"I am!" she shot back. "The irregular image should be safe enough to dilute the power of her eyes. Never look at her directly," she added.
"You want me to approach that thing with this!" he asked incredulously. "I can't get close enough. She'd slice me to bits."
"No, she won't. Trust me on this. You've got a chance." she swallowed. He nervously took the ball from him. If Annabeth's plan doesn't work, he'd have to take a risk and disperse the three of them away, disregarding how taxing it might be.
He followed the hissing and spitting sounds of Medusa's serpents. Above him, he watched Piper swing a stone arm at the gorgon and sped up in that direction. He kept his eyes locked on the gazing ball so he would only glimpse at Medusa's reflection, not her real image. He approached a fountain in the stone forest, passing an area filled with debris; the place Piper had brained Medusa with her masterpiece.
Then, in the green-tinted glass, he saw her behind him. Medusa has yet to notice him and fling a tree branch at Piper. "Hey!" he called. She turned to him, abandoning Piper. Good.
Percy advanced on her, step by step backward, which wasn't easy holding a glass ball. If Medusa charged him suddenly, he'd have a hard time defending himself. But she let him approach.
Twenty feet, ten feet...
At that distance, he could see the reflection of her face now. It wasn't that ugly. The green swirl of the ball made it a little distorting, but he clearly saw her. An angular face with a pronounced jawline and wide cheekbones. Glistening scales below her neck covered her arms and legs, underneath her ripped clothes. Her eyes glinted with a green tint, like glowing gems. They burned straight through the ball, making him disoriented.
"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy." she crooned. "I know you wouldn't." she flexed her claws, ready to pounce at a moment's notice. He felt funny; even his mom doesn't know everything about him—and that's saying something—much less Poseidon's ex-girlfriend.
"Percy!" Piper moaned from somewhere above. "Don't listen to her." she pleaded.
"Too late," Medusa cackled and lunged at him.
The fountain before him exploded, soaking them both with torrents of water. Percy used the momentary distraction to disintegrate into water, allowing Medusa to pass right through him. He materialized behind her—sans gazing ball—and clicked his pen. Riptide extended into a double-edged bronze blade. He swiveled his sword behind, and heard a sickening squelch.
Thud!
Something fell to the ground near his feet. A low gurgling noise followed a little tugging at his shoelace. He cocked his head in the other direction, despite sensing a warm goop soak into his sock.
"Percy!" he turned above to a nosediving Piper, colliding into him.
xXx
A/N: And we're done with the first day on a quest. How do you think Piper managed to distract Medusa long enough for the other two to come up with a plan of action. Tell me about it.
