Alaster POV
I flew Griffyn after the vehicle that Argus, the Camp Head of Security, drove. I knew that Argus would be driving Percy, Annabeth, and Grover so after I took Griffyn into the air we waited until the time was right to follow.
"Where do you think they're going, Chief?"Griffyn asked
I sighed. "Probably to Greyhound Station. That's where Argus dropped Beckendorf, Silena, and I on my first quest"
Soon enough, Argus dropped Percy, Annabeth, and Grover off at Greyhound Station and I landed with Griffyn where they couldn't see us.
I hopped off Griffyn and took a look at her. "You should get back to Camp. They'll start wondering where you went soon enough"
Griffyn held her head up, like some sort of act of self-righteousness. "You got it, Chief. Call me when you need me"
"See you when I get back"I said
"See you later, Chief!"Griffyn said as she took to the air, flying away.
Once she flew off I finally realized that the sun was almost setting and it was raining.
I waited a few minutes after Argus pulled off and I walked towards them. "Hey!"
All three of their heads turned towards me.
"Alaster?"Annabeth said
"In the flesh"I said
"What are you doing here?"Grover asked
"I'm coming on the quest with you guys. What does it look like?"I asked
"Alaster, you know the rules. No more than three are allowed on a quest. Bad things happen to those who bring more than three"Annabeth muttered to me.
"Seriously? You guys are searching for Zeus' Master Bolt and never thought to bring the literal son of Zeus with you?"I asked
"But still"Annabeth said
"Percy should decide if he gets to stay"Grover said nervously. "I mean he is the leader of the quest"
We all turned to Percy. He looked unsure for a moment but then came to a decision. "He can stay"
Annabeth rolled her eyes and I smirked.
All four of us began to get restless soon enough after waiting for the bus. So to pass the time we played Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth dominated, Percy wasn't too bad. But I've never played Hacky Sack before so I maybe sort of kind of used my wind powers to make it look like I could play well.
But the game ended when Percy tossed the apple to Grover who ate the whole thing in one bite.
Grover tried to apologize, Annabeth and Percy were cracking up while I snickered a bit. But finally, the bus came. The four of us stood in line to board. I noticed however, that Grover was looking around, sniffing the air.
"What is it?"Percy and I asked at the same time.
"I don't know"Grover said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing"
Oh, but it wasn't nothing. There had to be something on this bus. Satyrs can sniff out monsters as much as mortals can sniff out a bison at the zoo.
We then finally got on board and took our seats at the back of the bus. We stowed our back-packs. I was tense to say the least, there had to be something near us or on this bus.
Annabeth repeatedly slapped her Yankees cap against her thigh nervously as I played around with the orange cap of my highlighter.
"Percy"I heard Annabeth said. I turned my head to see what the two were talking about. Annabeth directed towards an old lady who had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse.
I saw Percy's stunned expression as he saw the old lady, he must've recognized her from some place.
Two other old ladies boarded after her, one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. They looked exactly like the first old lady.
Wait a minute...Percy fought one of the Kindly Ones before he came to camp. All of a sudden he looks like he's seen this woman before...and there are two other old women who look exactly like her.
It's them! All three Kindly Ones!
The one in the green hat glared straight at me...that's when I realized that I recognized her. She there on the night that Thalia died...she was one of the Kindly Ones who attacked me.
She had left a scar that went across my chest the last time I saw her. And now she's back, and I'm gonna kill her, I swear it.
"She didn't stay dead long"Percy said to me.
"I said if you're lucky"I said. "But judging on the situation I'm thinking that you're not"
"All three of them"Grover said. "Di immortales!"
"It's okay"Annabeth said, seemingly to be thinking hard about the situation. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows"
"They don't open"Grover moaned.
"A back exit?"she suggested, I shook my head.
"The only option we have is to fight our way out"I said
"They won't attack us with witnesses around"Percy said. "Will they?"
"Mortals don't have good eyes"Annabeth reminded. "Their brains can only process what they see through the mist"
"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?"
"Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergent exit in the roof...?"Annabeth said
Once we hit the Lincoln Tunnel, the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle.
The old lady in purple, presumably the one that was teaching Percy before he got to camp, stood. "I need to use the restroom"
"So do I"The one in green said
"So do I"The one in orange said
They all started coming down the aisle.
I didn't wait to form a plan. I uncapped the orange side of my highlighter and my spear emerged. I lunged at the one in the green and with a battle cry I rammed into her shoulder-first.
We both went down to the floor but as soon as I went down I got back up. I ran at the green one and thrusted my spear at her. She was able to dodge though.
I didn't know how the mortals refused to acknowledge that I had a spear and was fighting an old lady, but I didn't complain.
I slashed at her, miss, I slashed at her again, another miss, and I slashed at her one more time and was able to cut her on the arm.
She hissed and lunged at me, I ducked out of the way and she hit the floor. I thrusted my spear at her but she caught it and threw it, along with me, towards the back of the bus.
I hit the wall at the back and saw that Annabeth and Grover were battling the purple and orange one with Percy nowhere in sight.
As I looked at the green one that I was supposed to be fighting at the moment, leathery brown bat wings emerged when hands and feet resembled gargoyle claws. Her purse was now also a whip.
The whip cracked at me, but I dodged. The whip cracked at me again and again and again. But I was able to dodge.
CRACK!
The whip cracked me right on left side of my chin. I growled from the pain but I pushed through. I thrusted my spear at her again but she caught once more and this time threw me and only me to the back of the bus again.
I once again slammed against the wall and only about three seconds later one of her gargoyle-like claws were strangling me. I looked behind her to see my spear on the floor.
The green lady smirked in triumph. "Where is it? Where!?"
"I don't know what you're talking about"I said as I choked.
"Tell me where it is! Now! Or I'll bite your heart out!"She yelled
Oh but how she was mistaken. She thought my spear was my only weapon.
I quickly grabbed my earring that was in my left ear and took it out. The earring transformed and expanded into a dagger.
The dagger's handle was sheathed in brown leather, the hilt of the dagger was circular and the blade was straight and was made out of Celestial Bronze and was about seventeen inches with the word Íroas on it, which meant Hero in Greek.
The old lady looked surprised, I took advantage of my...advantage, and I slashed her arm. She hissed again and cracked her whip at me. I dodged.
She repeatedly kept cracking her whip at me but I kept dodging. Eventually I got close enough and slashed her claw, making her drop the whip. I slit her neck with the dagger and stabbed her through where her heart should be.
Only a couple seconds later, she turned into yellow powder.
"I don't care what people say. Revenge is worth it"I said to myself.
"Zeus will destroy you! Hades will have your soul!"One of the Furies said, I finally took notice of Percy who was now visible, he must've been wearing Annabeth's cap.
I guess I was too caught up in my fight to know what else was going on.
"Braccas mess vescimini!"Percy yelled in Latin which meant "Eat my pants!"
Thunder shook the bus.
"Get out!"Annabeth yelled. "Now!"
I quickly grabbed my spear and recapped it. All four of us rushed outside of the bus where the other passengers were, wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver or running around in circles yelling "We're going to die!" over and over again.
CLICK!
A person in a Hawaiian shirt snapped a picture of Percy who had his sword out.
"Our bags!"Grover said. "We left our—"
BOOOOOM!
The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof. But I could hear the angry wails from inside coming from the remaining Furies.
"Run!"Annabeth said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!"
We ran into the woods as rain poured down, the bus now in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness laid ahead for us.
My dad really wasn't making it easy for us to find his stupid bolt.
Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and I walked through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank, the night sky became yellow thanks to the glow of New York City.
"Nice dagger"Percy said
"Hmm?"
"Nice dagger"Percy said
"Oh"I said, looking at my dagger. "Thanks. You know it used to belong to your namesake"
"What?"Percy asked, bewildered.
"Yeah, on my first quest I got this dagger. It used to belong to the original Perseus"I said, the dagger transformed back into the black earring and I placed it back into my left ear.
"Come on! The farther away we get, the better"Annabeth said
"All our money was back there"Percy said. "Our food and clothes. Everything"
"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"Annabeth said
"So would I. I didn't need your help, Seaweed Brain"I said, walking faster.
"Sliced like sandwich bread"Grover put in. "But fine"
"Shut up, goat boy"Annabeth said
"Tin cans...a perfectly good bag of tin cans"Grover brayed miserably.
I kept walking, ignoring the conversations they were having behind me. What was I supposed to do? I'm the son of Zeus, the king of all gods...but I have absolutely no idea where to go from here? Everything seemed so simple back then, when I went on my first quest, well not simple, just easier than this.
After walking a bit more, I started to see some light up ahead. There were the colors of a neon sign.
I could smell food...food that I haven't had since my very first quest. And I knew immediately what I wanted...pizza.
The four of us kept walking until I saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one open business, which was where the source of the neon light and the food smell came from.
It wasn't a fast food restaurant. It looked like one of those things you'd see on a field trip, kind of like some tourist attraction.
I didn't know what the sign said because of my dyslexia but I think it said: Antyu Mes Gderan Gomen Meprouim
"What the heck does that say?"Percy asked
"I don't know"Annabeth said
"Don't look at me"I said. "I have no idea"
"Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium"Grover translated.
I immediately walked over. I was met with two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little rings, smiling and waving as they were about to get their picture taken.
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover followed suit.
"Hey..."Grover warned
"The lights are on inside"Annabeth said
"Maybe it's open then"I said
"Snack bar"Percy said wistfully
"Snack bar"Annabeth agreed
"Snack bar"I agreed
"Are you three crazy?"Grover said. "This place is weird"
We ignored him. The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes.
Grover bleated. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!"
We stopped at the warehouse door.
"Don't knock"Grover said. "I smell monsters"
"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies"I said. "I smell burgers and pizza. Aren't you hungry?"
"Meat!"Grover said scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian"
"You eat enchiladas and aluminum cans"Percy said.
"Those are vegetables. Come on. Let's leave. These statues are...looking at me"
The door creaked open and in front of us stood a tall Middle Eastern woman, she wore a king black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze, that was all I could make out though.
"Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"She said
"They're...um..."Annabeth said, trying to come up with something.
"We're orphans"I said quickly.
"Orphans?"a the woman said with a tone of surprise like she had never heard of the word before. "But, my dears! Surely not!"
"We got separated from our caravan"Percy said. "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?"
"Oh, my dears"she said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area"
"Thank you"I said and we went inside. The warehouse was filled with more statues-people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. Happiness, sadness...fear. It made me uneasy. They were all life-sized as well which didn't help.
Needless to say as soon as we were in I regretted my decision of not agreeing with Grover.
Eventually, we found the dining area. And it was sure enough, at the back of the warehouse: a fast food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, a nacho cheese dispenser, and an oven. There were also a few steel picnic tables out front.
"Please, sit down"Aunty Em said
"Awesome"Percy said
"Um"Grover said reluctantly, "we don't have any money ma'am"
"Yeah. We wouldn't want to mooch off you or anything"I said
Aunty Em said. "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans"
"Thank you, ma'am"Annabeth said
Aunty Em stiffened as if Annabeth just spat on her or something. But she relaxed just as quickly. "Quite all right, Annabeth. You have such beautiful gray eyes, child"
"How do you know her name?"I asked
"Hmm?"She said
"She never told you her name. How do you know her name?"I asked
"Oh! She just-she looks like an Annabeth. I've seen many Annabeths in my day. I am very good at guessing names"Aunty Em said
"Yeah...sure"I said suspiciously, taking a seat opposite from Percy. I rubbed my ring, eager to press it down and take out my spear. Something was wrong...very wrong. I could just feel it.
Aunty Em disappeared for a while behind the snack counter as she started cooking. Minutes later she'd brought us plastic trays with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, XXL servings of French fries, and two slices of pepperoni pizza.
Although I didn't trust her, I was still hungry. I hadn't eaten all day. So I started eating and before I knew it, both of my slices were gone, including the crusts.
"What's that hissing noise?"Grover said
I listened but didn't hear anything. But Satyrs have enhanced hearing, more than demigods or mortals do.
Wait a second...hissing, Aunty Em...Aunty Em...Aunty M, stone statues...this is not good.
"Hissing?"Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover"
"I take vitamins. For my ears"Grover said
"That's admirable"she said. "But please, relax"
But Aunty Em didn't eat anything, she just sat forward, watching us.
"We need to get out of here now"I whispered
"What? Why?"Percy asked
"This is dangerous. This is not good. We need to leave now before it's too late. So stop shoving your face with burgers and fries you kelp-brained idiot"I said smacking the burger out of his hands.
Percy stood up and looked at me angrily. "What's your problem!?"
I stood up and glared. "Just listen to me!"
"Children, children. There is no need to fight"Aunty Em said
"No. We're leaving now" I said strictly.
Percy looked around at the statues. "So, you sell gnomes?"
"Oh, yes"Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know"
"A lot of business on this road?"
"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"
A chill ran down my back, I turned around to see a stone statue of a woman. She looked utterly terrified, she was crouching with her hands buried in her hair.
"Ah"Aunty Em said 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"
"You make these statues yourself?"Percy asked
"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, 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"
"Two sisters?"Annabeth stopped eating.
"It's a terrible story"Aunty Em said. "Not one for children really. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a...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"
"Percy? Maybe we should go. I mean; the ringmaster will be waiting"Annabeth said
"Exactly what I was thinking"I said, walking over to her as Aunty Em did.
She looked at the both of us. "You both have such beautiful eyes. A wonderful gray and blue. My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray and blue eyes like those"
She reached out to stroke our cheeks but I backed away and Annabeth stood. "We should really go"
"Yes!"Grover swallowed his waxed paper and stood up. "The ringmaster is waiting! Right!"
"Please, dears"Aunty Em pleaded. "I so sorry surely beg to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose "
"A pose?"Annabeth asked warily.
"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children"Aunty Em said
"I don't think we can, ma'am"Annabeth said
"Yeah. No thanks"I said
"Come on, Percy—"
"Alaster, Annabeth. It's just a photo. What's the harm?"Percy said
"Yes, Alaster and Annabeth"She purred. "No harm"
My hand entered my pocket and I grabbed the highlighter as Aunty Em led 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. I'll just position you correctly. The young girl in the middle, I think, Grover and Percy on the left and right. Alaster, you crouch for me, please?"
"Not much light for a photo"Percy remarked
"Oh, enough"Aunty Em said. "Enough got us to see each other, yes?"
"Where's your camera?"I asked
She stepped back. "Now the face is the most difficult can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"
I took out the highlighter and slowly moved my hand towards my ring.
"That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand"Grover said, glancing back at the stone satyr.
"Grover"Aunty Em chastised, "look this way, dear"
There was still no camera in her hands.
"Percy—"Annabeth said
"I will just be a moment. You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil"Aunty Em said
This wasn't good. I needed to attack soon.
"Percy, something's wrong"Annabeth insisted
"Wrong? Not at all dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"
"That is Uncle Ferdinand!"Grover gasped
"Scatter!"I yelled, rolling away, uncapping the orange highlighter and pressing down on my ring. My spear and Aegis appeared.
"Look away from her!"Annabeth shouted, putting on her Yankees cap on her head and vanishing, pushing Percy onto the ground in the process.
I closed my eyes. How did Perseus defeat her before? Wasn't she asleep or something?
I stood up and started breathing heavily. But that's when I heard the same voice I heard earlier. The same voice that told me to follow Percy and Grover: "Breath carefully. Calm yourself. Trust in your senses"
I did as the voice said, I slowed my breathing until it was steady. I heard the sounds of snakes slithering.
Although I couldn't see...I felt like I could feel where she was. It was as if the wind was guiding me.
I charged. "For Zeus!"
I thrusted and a hissing noise that sounded like pain emerged. A growl then followed, I backed up, dodging some sort of scratch or punch.
I held Aegis in front of me and I kept thrusting my spear at her. I'm pretty sure I hit her a few times, but I wasn't able to kill her.
"The Gray-Eyed One did this to me, Percy. Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this. And Alaster's own brother killed me. You see why I must destroy them?"
I stabbed her somewhere, but she still didn't die. I was grabbed and thrown onto the floor.
"Do you really want to help the gods? 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 as a statue. Less pain. Less pain"
"Percy! Duck!"Grover's voice emerged. "Duck! I'll get her!"
THWACK!
Medusa roared with rage. "You miserable satyr. I'll add you to my collection!"
I attacked her again, I thrusted and slashed at her but she grabbed my spear and disarmed me. She grabbed me by the collar and lifted me up to what would be her eye level. I could feel the snakes on her head snapping at me.
"Open your eyes, Alaster. Let me see them again. You must let me witness them, it's been so long since I've seen eyes as beautiful a blue than those. You know, my eyes have also been considered...attractive. Sooner or later you'll have to open your eyes. The temptation is irresistible. All you have to do is look"
My eyelids grew lighter, I almost opened them when Ker-whack!
Medusa roared with rage as she released me. I quickly took out my left earring and Íroas emerged.
I charged at her. Grover and I tried our best to work together without looking up.
"Ummphh!"Grover made a sound which sounded like had had crashed into something.
"Hey!"Percy yelled
"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy"she crooned. "I know you wouldn't"
"Percy, don't listen to her!"
"Too late!"Medusa cackled
I lunged at her and stabbed her in the back, she gasped.
Schlock!
Something fell onto the ground, I opened my eyes finally. My face scrunched up when I felt ooze leak into my socks. My eyes stared up towards the sky.
"Oh, yuck. Mega-yuck"Grover said
"Don't move"Annabeth said, she knelt and draped the monster's head in a black cloth; then picked it up. It was still drilling green juice. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah"Percy said
All of a sudden, I just felt so angry...so resentful. I stomped towards Percy and shoved him. "What was that! You could've gotten us killed!"
Percy glared at me and shoved me back. "What's your issue!"
"You're my issue!"I shoved him again. "You really couldn't put two and two together! She was practically screaming that she was Medusa!"
Percy and I glared at one another, I'm pretty sure if another second went by then we'd start fighting but Annabeth interrupted.
"Why didn't her head evaporate?"Percy asked, shifting his gaze from me.
"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war"Annabeth said. "Same as your Minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you"
Grover moaned as he climbed down from a grizzly bear statue. Magic sneakers that he had on had wings on them.
"The Red Baron"Percy said. "Good job, man"
Grover gave 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".
Percy recapped his sword, Íroas turned back into an earring, I recapped by spear and Aegis turned back into a ring.
The four of us stumbled back into the warehouse. We found some old plastic 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.
"So we have Athena to thank for this monster?"Percy said
"Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. 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"
"Oh, so now it's my fault we met Medusa"Percy said
"Alaster, Annabeth. It's just a photo. What's the harm?"Annabeth said in a bad imitation of Percy's voice.
"Forget it"Percy said. "You're impossible"
"You're insufferable"Annabeth said
"You're—"
"Hey!"Grover interrupted. "You two are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even get migraines. What are we going to do with the head?"
"I'll be back"Percy said as he got up.
"Percy"Annabeth said. "What are you—"
Percy left and came back not too long later. He packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip:
The Gods
Mount Olympus
600th Floor,
Empire State Building
New York, BY
With best wishes,
PERCY JACKSON
"They're not going to like that"Grover warned. "They'll think you're impertinent"
Percy poured some golden drachmas into the pouch. As soon as he closed it, there was a sound like a cash register. The package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop!
"I am impertinent"Percy said
"Come on"Annabeth said. "We need a new plan"
"Finally. Let's get out of here"I said