Thank you for the reviews they are much appreciated. I saw an exhibit on architecture today and I was like, "I am channeling Annabeth." It was really cool. Ok! Here's the story.

"You haven't left Camp Half-Blood you were seven?" he asked.

"No . . . only short field trips. My dad-"

"The history professor," he injected.

"Yeah," I said. "It didn't work out for me living at home. I mean Camp Half-Blood is my home." Words were tumbling out of my mouth I couldn't stop them. "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 good or not," I said hurriedly before I could be interrupted.

I had faith in my skills, I liked being a leader and all and I thought I was a good one, but I doubted myself occasionally. I had been dreaming of a quest ever since I learned to fight to prove myself not only to others, but also to myself.

"You're pretty good with that knife," he said.

"You think so?"

"Anybody who can piggy-back a Fury is okay by me."

I stared down at my shoes and smiled. "You know maybe I should tell you . . . some thing funny happened back on the bus . . ."

Our conversation was brought to a standstill when a sharp toot-toot-toot rang out in the dark (which to anyone who hasn't know Grover as long as I have may sound like an bird being strangled) followed by Grover exclaiming that his reed pipes still worked. Joy.

He played a few notes in attempt to achieve a "find path song" that caused Percy to smack into a tree. I couldn't help but snicker.

We trekked onward and I learned something knew about Percy: he has quite the mouth. The sprawling tree roots didn't help matters. It seemed like every ten seconds Percy found a new root with his foot and let loose a new curse, whether in Greek or in English.

All of the sudden a delicious smell entered my nose. Our little group gravitated towards the large neon cursive sign above the building emitting the smell. The sign looked like a foreign language to me.

"What the heck does that say?" Percy asked.

"I don't know."

"Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium," Grover translated.

The place was littered with an assortment of garden statues and various other items.

Percy and I started across the street following the tantalizing smell of fried food.

"Hey," Grover warned.

"The lights are on inside," I said. "Maybe it's open."

"Snack bar," said Percy.

"Snack bar," I agreed.

"Are you to crazy? This place is weird."

We didn't listen.

"Bla-ha-ha," he bleated nervously. "Looks like my Uncle Fernindad.

We came to stop at the doors.

"Don't knock," Grover pleaded. "I smell monsters."

"Your nose is clogged from the Furies," I insisted. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"

"Meat," he said scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian."

"You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminum cans," Percy reminded him.

"Those are vegetables," he insisted. "Come on, let's leave. These statues are . . . looking at me."

The door then creaked open, presenting a tall women adorned in something similar to a burka. "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?" she said in a strange, drawling accent.

"They're . . . um . . ." I stuttered.

"We're orphans," said Percy. Classic.

"Orphans?" she exclaimed. "But my dears, surely not!"

"But, my dears! Surely not!"

The next words uttered from Percy's mouth may be the stupidest thing I may have ever heard someone say. "We got separated from our caravan, our 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?"

I was ready to kill him. I couldn't believe what he just said.

"Oh, my dears, you must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight to the dining area in the back."

I didn't know if the godly smell of grease that clouded my judgment, but we thanked her and went inside.

"Circus caravan?" I said.

"Always have a strategy, right?" he said cheekily.

"Your head I full of kelp," I retorted.

We went through the isles of strange statues to get to the back. They were life-sized and made with excruciating detail. Their faces were adorned with mixed expressions of fear and horror.

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em purred.

"Awesome," said Percy.

"Um . . . we don't have any money ma'am," Grover said reluctantly.

Aunty Em answered right away, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat for such nice orphans."

"Thank-you ma'am," I said politely. I felt Aunty Em stiffen besides me.

"Quite all right, Annabeth," said Aunty Em. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, child."

Something about this sentence disturbed me, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Aunty Em went behind the counter to cook, leaving us alone for only a moment before she returned with a platter heaped with fast food.

My mouth started watering. This was a rare occurrence for me, Camp Half-Blood didn't serve much unhealthy food besides barbeque but even that was lean meat surrounded by fruits and vegetables, a girl's gotta have junk food once in awhile.

Percy and I both lunged forward towards the plastic tray. I got a vanilla milkshake and it was the best thing I had had for awhile. The haze covering my brain got even heavier every sip I took, but it was so good and I didn't know the next time we would get a meal was. When I was out with Luke and Thalia they did their best to keep us fed, but going to bed on an empty stomach was not unheard of.

"What's that hissing noise?" Grover said, picking at the fries.

I shook my head. I didn't hear anything, just the crinkling of wax paper.

"Hissing?" asked Aunty Em innocently. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover."

"I take vitamins. For my ears," said Grover nervously.

"That's admirable, but please relax," she soothed.

Aunty Em remained in her headdress watching us eat. Percy made an attempt at conversation with our hostess. I hadn't been listening until she told him about how she once the companionship of her two sisters to help her make statues.

I sat up, statues and two sisters. "Two sisters?"

"It's a terrible story," she started. "Not one for children, really. You see, Annabeth, a bad women was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a . . . boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. 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."

With every detail of the story she added my heart pounded faster. Percy looked half asleep. "Percy," I said, shaking him. "Maybe we should go. I mean, the ringmaster will be waiting."

I was freaking out, I wasn't sure I could get us all out of there alive. She was giving off monster vibes. I didn't allow myself to consider who she may be.

"Such beautiful gray eyes," Aunty Em purred. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray eyes like those." She reached toward me like she was going to stroke my cheek. But before she could touch me I shot out of my seat.

"We really should go."

"Yes!" yelled Grover coming to my aid. "The ringmaster is waiting! Right!"

Percy didn't budge.

"Please, dears," Aunty Em begged. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?' I said cautiously.

"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."

I shifted my weight nervously, "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Percy-"

"Sure we can," said Percy shooting me an irritated glare. "Its just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"

"Yes, Annabeth, no harm," she said amusedly.

I wanted to stomp my foot in frustration, but I couldn't see how I could get Percy to come with us so I allowed myself to be led into the back.

We were sat down on a park bench next to a startled looking concrete satyr.

"Now, I'll 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," said Percy.

"Oh, enough," Aunty Em said. "Enough for us to see each other, yes?"

"Where's your camera?" Grover questioned.

She ignored him. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"

I heard Grover mumble next to me, "That sure does look like Uncle Fernidad."

"Grover," Aunty Em chided. "Look this way, dear."

She still didn't have a camera.

"Percy-," I warned.

"It will be just a moment," Aunty Em said. "You know, I can't see very well in this cursed veil . . . ," reaching up towards her wrap.

"Percy, something's wrong," I said.

"Wrong?' Aunty Em said. "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"

And then everything happened within a span of a few seconds.

"That is Uncle Fernidad!" Grover yelled.

Everything suddenly came together and was absolutely clear like all the pieces of a puzzle. I put on my Yankees cap and yelled, "look away from her!" and shoved the boys off the bench and clenched my eyes shut while Medusa pulled of her veil.

Grover and I scrambled of into the forest of statues leaving a dazed Percy behind.

I risked opening my eyes a tiny bit and I was glad I did. Percy almost looked up but I screamed, "No! Don't!"

"Run!" Grover bleated. "Maia!" he bleated.

"Such a pity to destroy such a handsome young face," Medusa whispered. "Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look up."

"The Gray-Eyed One did this to me, Percy," she snarled. "Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."

"Don't listen to her!" I screamed. "Run, Percy." I felt helpless; she was nearly impossible to fight.

"Silence!" she screamed at me and then turned to Percy. She spoke in soothing, quiet tones. I didn't need to be close to them to know what she was saying.

All of the sudden I heard a series of shouts. Grover had dove in with his shoes armed with a branch. And guessing from the series of thuds and snarls he was doing well.

"That was for Uncle Fernidad!" Grover yelled.

I took this as opportunity to rally Percy.

"Percy!" I hissed, causing him to jump a few feet in the air.

"Jeez! Don't do that!"

"You have to cut her head off," I said.

"What? Are you crazy? Let's get out of here."

"Medusa is a menace. She's evil. I'd kill her myself, but . . ." This was hard for me. I had to admit that I couldn't do something. That wasn't good for my pride, but they don't call them fatal flaws for nothing. "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?" I gestured toward a statue of a man and a woman clutching each other with duplicate expressions of fear on their face.

I grabbed a glass ball from a nearby pedestal and handed it to Percy. "A polished shield would be better." I examined the sphere. "The convexity will cause some distortion. The reflection's size should be off by a factor of-"

"Would you speak English?" he criticized.

"I am!" I threw the ball at him, my face burning. "Just look at her in the glass. Never look at her directly.

"Hey, guys!" Grover yelled from above. "I think she's unconscious!"

"Rooaaarrr!"

"Maybe not," Grover corrected.

"Hurry, Grover's got a great nose, but he'll eventually crash," I urged Percy.

He uncapped his sword and started to make his way toward Medusa. I heard a crash and knew Grover had fallen.

I covered my face. "Hey," Percy yelled to get Medusa's attention away from Grover.

"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy," she crooned. "I know you wouldn't."

"Percy, don't listen to her," Grover moaned.

Medusa cackled, "Too late."

I braced myself for the sound of Percy being torn apart, but was instead surprised by a sickening sholck! and a rush of wind.

2113 words, give or take a few! That's a record for me. Please review. Anything; yes, no, maybe so.