Even with Chiron leading the excursion, Grover was nervous.
The smell of monster was strong around Yancy Academy, even when Chiron and Grover had finally managed to work out who the monster was, they hadn't identified who she was.
And this field trip to the museum, all Grover could smell was monster.
.
Not helping was the chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich slowly sliding down his curly hair.
Nancy Bobofit would have made an excellent monster, or a daughter of Hermes. It was almost a shame that she was only mortal.
And then he'd think about the girl's actions and be grateful that he wouldn't have to put up with it when he returned to camp.
.
"Do you need some help with that, Mr Underwood?" Ariadne Jackson's voice was always a surprise to hear, oddly mature and clear for a twelve-year-old.
"Uh… no. It's fine. I like peanut butter." He tried deflecting, oddly nervous.
Even knowing she was just a half-blood (although Grover hadn't exactly been brought in on whose child), there was something about her that put the satyr on edge.
"Oh, Mr Underwood? I would have thought you would have preferred not having the distraction of such a thing in your hair."
She always knew things she shouldn't and the words she used… he could only hope that she didn't actually know what he was.
"It's fine." He repeats.
"Do not lie to me, Mr Underwood, or at least if you do, try and make your face match your words in the future." She rolled her eyes softly as she pulled a chunk out of his hair.
"Ms Bobofit." Ariadne's voice turned cold. "It would be wise for you not to continue pursuing this course of action."
"What are you going to do about it, Jackson?" Sneered the red-haired girl.
"Oh, don't test me, Ms Bobofit. Would you like a reminder of what happened when you last decided to bully someone?" Ariadne's voice reminded Grover of an iceberg.
Nancy similarly froze, her face a strange mix of anger and fear.
"I did not think so."
Grover was left alone for the rest of the bus ride.
.
Chiron confidently led the tour, easily explaining the history and stories of the various objects shown on the display.
Between the glares of Mrs Dodds and Ariadne Jackson, the students had mostly been calm and settled.
"Would anyone care to explain this one for the group?" Chiron asked, indicating the stele beside him.
The group were silent until, with a roll of her eyes, Ariadne stepped forward.
"That's Kronos, king of the titans, eating his kids." Her voice was strangely calm, almost as though she was reminiscing on something.
"Very good, would you care to elaborate on why he did so."
"Of course, Mr Brunner. Kronos had been warned by his mother, Gaia, the primordial goddess of the earth, that much like his father, he would be overthrown by his children. To try and prevent this, Kronos ate five of his children – Hestia, who would become the goddess of the hearth; Hades, who would become the god of the riches and lord of the underworld; Hera, who would become the queen of the gods of Olympus and the goddess of family and marriage; Poseidon, who would become god of the seas; and Demeter, who would later become the goddess of harvest."
Chiron raised an eyebrow, not expecting her to go in such detail.
"But when he attempted to eat his sixth child, Zeus, his wife, Rhea – who was also his sister – tricked him into eating a rock instead. Zeus was raised out of sight of his father and when he was old enough, he tricked Kronos into drinking a mix of mustard and wine that caused him to… regrettably there isn't really a nicer way to put this… puke the first five siblings back up, as they were gods, they had not been dissolved and digested."
The students pulled faces, unpleased by the mental imagery it conjured.
"The gods waged war against the titans due to their tyrannical rule. The gods won the war, and thus ended the age of the titans. Kronos was sliced into pieces by his own weapon, and scattered across the darkest parts of the underworld – Tartarus." Ariadne finished, a strange expression on her face.
Nancy pulled a face behind her, clearly trying to make an attempt at tearing Ariadne down.
"Like this is ever going to relevant. We'll never use this in real life." She snarked.
"That is a very good question." Chiron said, calling the attention back to him. "Can you explain how this is relevant to real life, Miss Jackson?"
Ariadne frowned before nodding.
"We can use it in several ways. The first is simple, to respect the culture of others – knowing the history and stories of someone else's culture gives you a greater ability to empathise with them. The second is a warning. Many of the Greek myths are warnings, stories that advise people on what not to do. Much like the tale of Oedipus, it's a warning against self-fulfilling prophecies – if you give the words power, they will have them. It's also a warning to be careful of your own approach to the people around you. The tyrannical titans were brought down by the gods because they had grown prideful and arrogant, their behaviour not befitting the rulers of the world. Had they actually cared for their people, it would not have ended the same way."
Chiron and Grover couldn't help but stare at Ariadne, wondering what exactly she knew, how much she knew. A clueless demigod isn't normally this knowledgeable.
"Thank you, Miss Jackson." Chiron said after a moment of hesitation. "That was a very good explanation. On that note, Mrs Dodds, would you lead us back outside for lunch."