Hey guys, I read the reviews and I was very touched by all the positive things reviewers say. I really hope more of you can review. It seriously boosts my confidence. You can also give me suggestions and criticisms. I know I still have space for improvement and some guidance from you guys will be great. I will work harder for this story, I promise.

I do not own Rick Riordan's work.

Piper

All was well until they met the psycho old woman.

The Argo 2 had landed on Gerolimenas roughly, splattering sand in all directions. Hazel joined Piper at the deck after fitting her sword into a scabbard. Jason waited at the makeshift stairs. His shoulders were tensed with worry. "I don't like this idea of sending you guys into something unknown." He murmured. Piper huffed with exasperation. She was going to face eventual end-of-the-world, possibly dying a horrible death before suffering in the wrath of a certain Earth goddness. The last thing she needed was an overprotective boyfriend (Which was equally bad).

"Don't worry. I'll try not to get killed." Piper hated it, but she put charm speak into her voice. She needed to persuade Jason that she is NOT being sent to a certain death. Besides, she could take care of herself.

Jason visibly relaxed. The frown on his face vanished and the worry lines around his eyes faded. Piper tried not to notice the glazed look in Jason's eyes.

"Let's go." She said to Hazel."Time to find a sorceress."

Together they descended down the makeshift stairs.

.

.

Gerolimenas was surrounded by tall,vertical cliffs that loomed over crashed resoundedly onto the face of the cliff, creating foam as it receded back. What a sorceress was doing here, Piper had no idea. Maybe she liked the cliffs. From what Piper had perceived from her demigod experience, Greek villains love to send heroes plummeting to their death. She remembered their time with Sciron the bandit, which wasn't pleasant. Like, almost-kick-Jason-to-his-death unpleasant.

She could just imagine a slogan-the Greek bad guys society, throwing people off the cliff since 500BC.

Stop thinking that, the sorceress might not necessarily be bad. She chided herself

Yeah, Piper loved her optimistic mindset.

Hazel pointed to the top of the cliff, where several shabby cottages stood. In the afternoon light, her amber eyes shone bright with uneasiness.

"You see that house over there?" Hazel muttered.

Piper shielded her face and squinted. There was a mansion, slightly separated from the rest of the cluster. It looked out of focus, like a mirage. Sometimes it was a well-groomed house, radiating cold energy. Sometimes it was just an abandoned ruin.

Piper swallowed. "Guess we're heading there."

After half an hour, they collapsed on the coarse surface of the cliff, which sprayed gravel over the edge.

"The next time, a ride from Jason would be fine." Piper told Hazel, who was struggling to catch her breath.

For a brief second, Hazel's expression hardened. Then it flashed back to normal. She stood up and offered Piper a hand.

"Yes," she said,"but we have worse thing to worry about."

Piper looked at the mansion before them. Now that they're closer, the mansion did not look more friendly.

Hazel pushed open the gate, and it groaned in protest. The mahogany door creaked as it opened itself. Piper glanced at Hazel, who was tapping the hilt of her sword uneasily. If there's a chance of getting away, this was the moment. Instead, Hazel entered the doorway. Piper followed her lead.

The hallway was dark and dingy, but as soon as they stepped in, fluorescent lights flickered on one by one, like the scene in a horror movie. Piper thought about some Cherokee tales Grandpa Tom told her, which didn't exactly help her courage. Their footsteps were unnaturally loud in the eerily silent corridor.

Slowly, the narrow corridor widened into a circular chamber. The room was musty and the air stale, like someone hadn't opened a window for three hundred years.

Not that the room has any windows, Piper thought as she surveyed her the surroundings.

Hazel's gaze flitted around the room. "The chamber is empty." She said.

From the corner, a hoarse voice rang out.

"Ah yes... It WAS empty. Until now, my darlings."

A woman emerged from the shadows. In fact, woman was not apt to describe her. It was more like a wizened old hag. Wrinkles lined her ancient face like cobwebs. Her shoulders were stooped and her hands covered in liver spots. She might have been beautiful a long long long time ago, but now she was wasted away.

"I do hope you are here to sign up for the initiates programme. It's been such a long time since I had a trainee." she hissed.

Hazel yelped. " But...who are you? We're looking for a sorceress! Where is she?"

The old woman furrowed her brow.

"Why, I am Circe herself. I think I do qualify for a sorceress. " her green eyes twinkled. " So you ARE looking for me. Please wait for me to get my registration form, will you?"

The old woman cackled with delight. She brought a stack of yellowish parchment from one of the drawers.

Piper tried to stay calm. Annabeth had told her about Circe. The evil sorceress who opened a spa in the Sea of Monsters, trained girls with magic, and turned men into hamsters. She had laughed whenever she imagined Percy as a rodent. But as far as she remembered, Annabeth had described Circe as beautiful, hypnotizing and powerful. This old hag before her could not be THE Circe.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but enough games. Where is Circe?" Piper demanded, injecting a powerful dose of charmspeak into her voice.

The hag narrowed her eyes. " I AM Circe, Piper McLean. Alas...charmspeak has no effect on me. I practise Charmspeak, in fact. " She said coldly.

She bared her teeth. "First rule of magic, never doubt your mistress."

With that, the crazy old lady lunged forward.