"The ancient Greeks believed in judgment beyond death." Professor Brunner's voice boomed over the crowd and echoed off the walls of the museum. "Those who indulged in the less moral aspects of life went to the fields of punishment where they would remain forever. Many people do little in life, neither good nor evil, and are as such condemned to the fields of Asphodel. There they ramble about for eternity, with no sense of their former selves. Some argue they were no longer even conscious of their existence. However, those who showed exemplary spirit and virtue, the true heroes of the Greeks, they alone were granted entrance through the marble gates of Elysium. A place where they spent the remainder of their existence in perfect bliss."
As Professor Brunner finished his sentence the class touring the museum came to a stop in front of a large painting depicting the three mentioned fields of the afterlife. Despite having limited interest in Greek myth, Rachel found herself appreciating the masterful way the artwork blended into the next scene making use of negative space.
"Psst-" Rachel whispered while poking the boy next to her. "Percy, what does the caption say on this piece?" She watched impatiently as her friend wrenched his gaze away from the ongoing lecture to pay her attention.
"Huh?"
"The caption, idiot. What does it say there in Greek under the artwork?" She whispered hitting him on the shoulder for good measure. The redheaded girl then watched in disbelief as her friend merely glanced at the indecipherable letters and responded offhandedly.
"Threefold depiction of Hades realm. Which is weird, it's not something that a Greek would say-"
"Thank you, Percy." Rachel quickly ground out before she had the opportunity to get simultaneously lectured by her friend as well as the professor. Making notes in her journal both she and Percy were ushered forward by a disgruntled Grover. As the group caught up with the rest of their class they were able to catch the end of the Greek Professors lecture.
"...Their greatest heroes were revered above all except the gods themselves. Perhaps the most famous are the trials of Hercules. Equally impressive feats, although less renowned, include the bathing of the Styx by Achilles, the retrieval of the golden fleece by Jason, and of course, the slaying of the gorgon Medusa by Perseus."
Rachel saw the Professor's eyes as well as a few classmates linger on Percy next to her. As if having the same name as some ancient mythological hero meant they were the same person. While this behavior typically annoyed her to no end, she was distracted by the sudden stiffening of Grover next to her. Tracking his eyes, she was able to find the culprit of his sudden tension. Leaning against a bust of a hooved-legged human was the Headmistress staring in the direction of their group.
"Relax, Grover." She admonished her anxious friend. "She's just here because Ms. Strout came down with a cold. There's no reason to be nervous." The boy, half a foot taller than herself and sporting an abnormal amount of facial hair for his age jumped a little at her voice but recovered quickly.
"I'm fine, Rachel. I was just surprised to see her here. I honestly thought she hated Greek class. Have you decided what art piece you are going to use as your inspiration?" Recognizing the deflection for what it was Rachel narrowed her eyes but allowed herself to be drawn into a different conversation.
After a near-record fifteen seconds of listening to the applications of art in Greek mythology, Percy simply could no longer pay attention and decided to wander the museum. Several marble busts depicted ancient monsters, great battles, and heroes of old while Cold marble floors created clipped footsteps that echoed throughout the halls. Passing dryads and satyrs, hellhounds, and Cyclops Percy found himself deeper into the museum until he came upon statues larger and more human than all the others.
Perched atop large thrones twelve people sat in various poses. Several of the statues stood out to Percy as depictions of gods he was familiar with; A muscular bearded man brooded on the center throne, one hand holding a giant lighting bolt, and the other stroking his beard. Another sat relaxed with his legs spread and leaning back, trident across his lap. On the opposite end of the throne room sat a woman with a spear held upright and a shield leaning against the throne. This goddess wore full armor as if it were common clothing and held a calculating gaze as if lost in thought.
Less familiar depictions of gods also drew his attention and almost made him laugh.
A statue of a girl, legs hanging over the side of her throne, bow on her back, and dagger strapped to the side. Opposing her on the opposite side of the room was a large and unattractive man, with large hands and a hammer resting between his legs. Lastly, a woman next to Zeus wore a wreath and a veil and looked toward him expectantly.
The longer he stared at the statues he couldn't help but feel as if they were staring right back. Each set of eyes bore into his skull with a physical presence, marble petrifying flesh.
"The throne room of Olympus. Beautiful pieces of work are they not? They say that each sculpture took up to a year to craft." Percy turned toward the voice and found a blond woman in her mid-twenties who sported a ponytail and a pair of low platform heels standing next to him. Percy briefly wondered how she could have snuck up on him wearing those but quickly turned back to the large statues in front of him before replying.
"Someone spent a year carving these statues and they couldn't make him look less constipated?"
This sentence was accompanied by a wave towards the brooding Zeus statue in front of them and a sinking feeling when Percy noticed the uniform on the now-identified museum curator next to him. Thankfully the woman only briefly gave him a deadpan look before turning back toward the art pieces in front of them.
"He is hardly depicted as a happy god, although any who said so in his presence likely wouldn't have had time to regret it. Speaking Ill of the gods at all was largely frowned upon." Although informal, Percy sensed that he was missing something in the rebuke the blonde woman gave him and quickly changed the subject.
"How did the sculptor know how to shape the gods anyway? It's not like they could sit down for a portrait." This earned Percy a sly smile from the curator.
"Who knows, perhaps they did. I personally find the depiction of Poseidon to be hilarious. Is there a particular statue that you find yourself drawn to?" Despite the playful tone and the innocent look the curator turned to give him, Percy very suddenly felt all the hairs on his neck stand straight up. As he looked into the steel gray eyes of the woman next to him he suddenly felt like he was standing on the top of the Empire State Building, looking down below him and seeing only empty space before ground. Lightheaded and starting to feel dizzy he saw her eyes narrow slightly. Just when the sudden tension seemed too much to handle another voice called out, this one familiar
"Ahh, Perseus! There you are. I thought I might find you here." Snapping his head away from the source of his sudden vertigo, Percy saw the Ancient Greek professor in his wheelchair with Grover and Rachel trailing behind him at a distance. Professor Bruner got about five feet away from Percy before noticing the curator next to him and halting suddenly.
"We were just discussing which statues we liked best, professor. Care to join us?" At this odd statement, Percy caught himself looking between the professor and the curator as if missing some hidden meaning.
"I've always been fond of this particular rendition of Athena. I often thought it showed her poise and rationality." The gray-eyed woman simply raised a single eyebrow at this and Percy considered himself officially lost. She then turned to him and spoke again
"Come now young Perseus, you didn't answer my question. Do any of these sculptures call to you?" Percy found himself like a deer between headlights. Clearly, there was a wrong answer yet he didn't know what it was. He quickly opted for a safe answer rather than an honest one.
"I can't say any of the statues call to me considering I only recognize half of them. However, the depiction of Artemis is hilarious.
The silence that followed was absolute and unexpected. A brief glance at all present showed a mix of reactions. Mr. Brunner simply looked resigned, while Grover's face was one of abject horror and a hint of embarrassment. Rachel however was simply looking between himself, the Greek professor, and the museum curator like she had jumped down the rabbit hole and was now in wonderland; puzzled, curious, and a little upset.
As Percy finally glanced back at the woman to his left she was staring at him blankly as if she had discovered a new species of bird and was curious if it would be eaten before it left the nest.
"An excellent non-answer. Your mother must have raised you well. I look forward to seeing how well you fare, young Perseus. I sense there won't be many dull moments." She then took one last lingering look towards Percy, the professor over his shoulder, and squinted her eyes briefly at Rachel before turning around and walking out of the museum hall entirely.
What the hell was that about?
"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?!" Came the annoyed voice of his female friend. "Since when do you speak Greek?" The last sentence was spoken in Percy's direction. The redhead now going from visibly puzzled to annoyed.
"What are you talking…" Percy stopped halfway through his sentence and cleared his throat "I don't speak…" He became uncomfortably aware that the echo from his voice sounded unfamiliar to his ears. Taking a second to stop and focus hard on his words he tried again.
"I don't know what you mean. I can't speak Greek." He finished rather lamely. This was evidently the wrong thing to say as Rachel's face started to turn as red as her hair.
"The Fuck you ca-"
"That's enough for now Ms. Dare." Professed Brunner interrupted saving Percy from her verbal tirade. "Let's all go back to the group now, our break is almost over. You will have plenty of time to reconcile later." With a pointed look that told Percy they would be speaking later as well, the Greek professor led them all back to the main class. Grover stayed behind with the professor to ask some questions about the class work, while the silently fuming redhead stalked off toward the rest of the art class leaving Percy alone once more.
Still reeling from whatever had just happened, a hand touched Percy's shoulder causing him to jump. Turning around and seeing the hand belonged to the Headmistress, he quickly stifled a shudder.
"I apologize, Mr. Jackson, I didn't mean to startle you. I was admiring this piece of work and wanted to know what it said. I've heard you have a great eye for Greek literature. If you wouldn't mind taking a look at it for me I would greatly appreciate your assistance." With the hand of the headmistress still clamped on his shoulder, Percy had the feeling that saying no wasn't an option. Still, never wanting to be alone with the Headmistress if possible, Percy looked around for his friends or the professor to lend him some assistance and was unable to find them. With a sense of great foreboding yet no escape evident, Percy reluctantly let himself be steered away toward a different part of the museum.
Percy's unease grew as they headed farther away from the class, out of eyesight of anyone else, and into a separate room. Large and filled with boxes and scaffolding the room looked more like a storage unit than any particular exhibit. Growing uneasy he turned around and noticed the Headmistress staring at him intently, a distance between them.
"Um, if this is about the west wing I promise I didn't—" Percy tried to ease the tension before being interrupted
"Where is it?!" The headmistress all but yelled at him, all pretense of civility forgotten. Percy felt his pocket grow warm.
"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything." The Greek student simply watched stunned as this only made the headmistress more unhinged.
"We know you stole it, return what you have stolen, and your punishment shall be swift." Her eyes grew crazier and a low guttural growl started to come from her throat as she spoke causing Percy serious alarm. He took a few steps back as the warmth in his pocket started to burn.
"Seriously I didn't do anything, I was just out after curfew. I won't do it again I promise." This didn't seem to satisfy the crazy woman any more than before and Percy began to genuinely worry if she would attack him.
"If you won't tell me where it is, I will have to take it from you." Percy's vision tunneled, his pulse hammered and his leg was searing. He took one last step back and began to pull whatever was on fire out of his front pocket when the Headmistress suddenly lunged at him, morphing from a deranged woman to something more horrendous and impossible to conceive. Leathery wings sprouted from her shoulders as her iris turned red and her mouth grew fangs. He barely had time to lunge out of the way as her hands turned claws swiped where he stood and would have surely sliced him in half. His hand finally finds the culprit of the burning sensation; he pulled out the pen he was gifted by the Greek professor only to watch it turn into a sword. Looking back towards the creature from hell, she had lost all semblance of a person now as large leather wings propelled her toward him with a screech. Knees shaking as if made from jello, and sword in hand, Percy did the only natural thing and swung the sword in a large arc toward the monster that flew at him.
The young schoolboy was instantly covered in something similar to sawdust as his teacher exploded like a balloon, cleaved in half by his newly acquired sword. Instantaneous disbelief entered his system as he dropped the sword clattering to the ground. He took a moment to stare at his shaking hands as if he had never truly seen them before. Percy became briefly aware of the ringing in his ears as the tunneling of his vision subsided and he promptly doubled over and threw up.
Covered in the sawdust guts of his headmistress, sword below him, and puke in front of him, Percy finally looked up to see the horrified visage of his red-headed friend staring at the scene in front of her.
"I… don't even know what to say." Percy numbly trailed off
"Did you just… eviscerate the Headmistress?"
"…I plead the fifth?"
"That doesn't even begin to cover—What happened to the body—How in the world are we going to explain—Ugh!" Rachel threw her hands up in an aggravated yell.
"We have to tell Mr Brunner. He has to believe us, I'll be your alibi." Percy simply nodded numbly, still looking at his hands and the sword on the ground. Moments later he allowed himself to be strung along by his distraught friend. The Museum was a blur, no noise pierced his consciousness. It wasn't until Percy found himself in front of the Greek professor that everything came into focus with a sudden sharp clarity.
"You gave me a sword! You told me it was an Ancient Greek pen, but it was a sword and I used it to kill the headmistress."
Rachel looked at him in disbelief but firmly stood by him and confirmed his claim.
Mr. Brunner stared at them, taken aback.
"I assure you I just saw the Headmistress moments ago. Are you two alright?"
"No, she attacked Percy, and he cut her with a sword. We can show you, we promise."
The bearded professor stared at them in growing concern for their mental health.
"Go ahead and take me there children." With company in tow, the group then headed back to the scene of the crime, opening the door to the secluded room inside the museum.
"That's impossible. It was right there!" Where before had laid the remains of the headmistress-turned-monster and a bronze sword, was now only a pile of throw-up staining the museum floor and the overwhelming smell of sulfur.
"I think I understand what happened here. There's clearly been some kind of gas leak in this room that caused you to hallucinate and throw up. Quickly let's get out of here and back to the class. I'll tell the headmistress, you two go get some fresh air, we're about to leave." Concluding his statement, Mr. Brunner rolled away in his wheelchair, likely to go find the headmistress he spoke of.
Frustrated at the dismissal, the two schoolchildren looked at each other.
"You saw that right? There's no way that was caused by a gas leak."
"We both hallucinated the same thing? That vividly? No way. But where did everything go?"
"I don't know… we should go find Grover. He must be worried we've been missing by now."
