Chapter 5: The Hour of the Homicidal Hamburger

'Yancy academy polite informs you that you are not welcome back for the next year due to behavioral issues.' The jist of the letter both Ed and Perce receive…. There mission was accomplished they were not expelled from another school each merely not invited back for the next year. "Well my problematic partner Persephone what is your plan for the summer?" Ed asks you can almost hear the scheme he has brewing in his head. "Well aside from the whole demigod business which we may be apart of I was going to go with my mom to the beach in Montauk." Persephone states with an almost equal amount of scheming present in her voice. "Well Perce I Edward Finch the fourth of my name hereby extend the invitation to Petras island to you so that we may keep in touch over the summer. just send me a letter or phone call and we can discuss diabolical plans for the domination of all demigods!" Ed Speaks with a iconic faux villain laugh at the end. Perce lets loose a light chuckle at that and launches her own scheme "Well Edward Finch fourth of your name, I Persephone Jackson first of my name hereby extend to you an invitation to attend me and my mothers magnificent Montauk manor." They both chuckle at the antics of the other and Ed agrees to attend the mission to Montauk, whilst Perce agrees to one day visit Petras island.

They get on the greyhound bus leading to New York city with the 'Grover' looking rather sheepish and looking as if at any moment that they could be smited. "Grover what's got you by the goat?" Ed asks as he gives his friend a slap on the back. "Huh, no i'm not a goat." Grover responds before realizing the actual meaning of the question was why he was so nervous "I've never been in a Bellweather position." he replies making it seem as though he was replying to Ed's question with one of Ed's puns. Ed chuckles at it while Perce gives him a deadpan look for his truly terrible sheep pun. The bus ride is a relatively normal affair, until the bus breaks down on the side of the road. It's a perfectly peculiar parcel of pasture, there's a few cows grazing and three old ladies selling some of the nicest fruits Ed has ever seen. Grover goes a very expression filled gasp as the colour almost literally pales from his face as he sees Ed approach the fruit stand. "I don't mean to trouble you fine ladies but how much for a few apples and a dozen or so cherries?" Ed speaks to the three old ladies who are knitting. "Apples are three for five and for a dozen and half of cherries seven fifty." the ladies speak Ed pays for his food and the ladies give him a question "you seem to be full of questions, especially about the fate of your dreams and your friends. Would you like some advice?" "Ah its nothing to bad just a restless night and, why not the bus is still broken and I have some time." Ed replies to the question as he packs the fruit in a bag. The ladies speak "when you and your friends are facing troublesome trials remember that man once dreamed to be on the moon, and amongst the stars, and now they have been there, that same logic applies to your dreams Edward Finch make them reality. Also your friend who looks like he's having a panic attack will prefer the cherries." Ed is suitably weirded out he never told these ladies his name and they seem to know almost everything about his dreams. He walks back to the bus and as he looks back to the ladies he sees them cut a string and despite the improbability of it he hears the SNIP of the scissors across the street. His attention is quickly brought back to Grover who promptly faints at this development. The bus is back in business and Ed and Perce carry their friend back onto the bus. As they continue on their way to New York Ed asks Perce and Grover if they would like any fruit Grover requests the cherries while Ed and Perce both eat an apple.

They arrive at the greyhound bus station in New York where Grover promptly states he has to leave to use a pay phone. Persephone gets a nasty smirk across their face as she drags Ed towards a cab stating 'a pay phone prank which prospers problems for paranoid partners'. Ed and Perse not being avoidant of pranking the others amongst the trio agrees that this is a great prank, however it is only when they are in the taxi halfway to Perse's home in Manhattan does Ed ask the question "So how will Grover meet up with us later?" Perse responds "Well obviously at my apartment after his phone call is done." "Perse does Grover know your address?" Perse looks over at Ed with the smirk still on her face which slowly devolves into a shocked face as she realizes no she did not in fact inform Grover of her address and they just left their worrywart friend alone when he went too use the phone. However she remembers one thing she gave Grover, her home phone number so he just needs to call her and she can apologize to her friend and tell him where to meet up with him. After the small heart attack of abandoning an ally of alleged acts, Perse and Ed resume their animated talk about myths this talk mainly about fate of Medusa the Monstrous Gorgon and Medea the Witch of betrayal. The arrival to Persephone's address at 104th and 1st on the upper east side of Manhattan is remarkably unremarkable until Ugliano makes his appearance. The apartments smell is terrible and as our duo enter they see four men playing poker. "Hey Sally your brat and her plus one is here and bring out that bean dip on your way out!" Gabriel Ugliano unaffectionately known as 'Smelly Gabe' yells out towards Sally Jackson, It is then that Smelly gabe almost like a bloodhound gets up and says to Perse "Cash, hand it over I can smell you have two twenties on you and I need some cash for my next hand." Perce not wanting to make a scene with her friend visiting and just wanting to leave for Montauk as soon as possible after informing Grover just hands over the cash on her person. Smelly Gabe trots of with his tribute to resume his poor performance at poker. It is then that Sally Jackson appears bean dip and beer in hand for the poker party. As she sets down the refreshments she is nearly tackled by her daughter as she hugs her. "Hey my little pomegranate, how was Yancy?" Sally Jackson affectionately known as the best mother on the planet, seems to always smell like fresh baked cookies which bring a nice comfort to her daughter in her 3 month absence from the nest. "School was great I've told you all about Ed and Grover they both really cool, but I don't think they'll want me to attend another semester" Persephone says with a forlorn expression. "Hey that's okay sweetie here why don't you and your friend over there come into the kitchen and enjoy some fresh baked cookies." Perce lights up at the mention of her mothers baking and Ed is overjoyed to be apart of the conversation again especially when it pertains to the consumption of cookies.

"So Perce didnt you say that there was going to be two of your friends coming with us to Montauk? Where is the other? Grover if i'm correct in thinking you're Edward." Perce makes to speak but Ed is more proactive and states "Our Paranoid partner in crime needed to lighten up so we thought of brilliant prank, however our prank was a bit to proactive as Perce was unable to part with her pad before the prank was pronounced. Good news is that he should know your phone number. Also before you accuse us of abandoning our acquaintance the blame on this action is mine alone." Before Mrs Jackson can speak a phone rings, as she picks it up our partners in crime are left to stew in the sadness of sabotaging a member of the trio albeit unintentionally. "Yes… this is her mother… Were going to Montauk… alright see you there." As Mrs Jackson can speak she levels a stare that all mothers can when they catch a child with their hand in the cookie jar. Realizing the look on the perpetrators face her glare softens and she says "That was your friend Grover he's upset at you leaving him alone at the bus station but he'll meet up with you at Montauk. He's taking the bus to get there." Her tone shifts to a shout as she speaks with Gabe in another room, "Gabe im taking the kids to Montauk now." Gabe grumbles something fierce in the other room but doesn't make to stop them as they leave.

The drive to Montauk is something fiercely boring so Ed decides to enlighten upon the tale of the Irish Hercules Cu Chulainn or Setanata. It helps fill the silence of the car as all the radio signals of New York fade away on the trip to Montauk. As they enter the cabin of the mysterious montauk manor they see a some storm clouds surrounding their seafaring shack. The rain starts before they are able to get the campfire going but all it does is give Sally Jackson an excuse to get the kids to bed early so that they can wake up early. They hear some roars in the distance of the storm and Ed asks Perce if there are bears in the woods. Perce decides to tell some spooky stories about a ghost who wanders the woods who died by a bear and now knocks on cabin doors when their cabin is greeted by a knock on the door. Ed lets loose a manly screech as does Perce though the difference between the two is up for debate. As Sally Jackson answers the door to reveal a taxi leaving as their friend Grover is standing there like a soaked sheep. As another roar resounds our partners in crime are able to notice that their friend isn't a soaked sheep but a soaked half sheep or satyr by his own explanation. "We need to get them to camp Mrs Jackson that roar is coming for them." As the fearsome four back and enter into Gabes 67 Camaro they take off in the direction of Camp Half-Blood.

The weather turns worse as they approach their destination which is apparently a massive pine tree in a forest. Speaking of pine trees Sally is forced to swerve as a pine tree penetrates the passenger seat causing her to spin out of control. The crash causes all the parties to groan in pain, including the car protesting against its drivers action and mother nature. As our fearsome four exit the car they see that Grover is not waking up, Ed has a Black eye and busted lip and Perce seems to be perfectly okay if shocked at what happened. They struggle to get a hand on his hoof to haul him to homebase, but they manage and our group starts running. "Perce, please tell me you still have the sword." Perce is able to make a noise in the affirmative as they head up the final stretch of half blood hill, only for another tree to traverse towards them. They are forced to stop and a beastial bellow reaches their ears. As they look behind them a monster long thought gone in all of Ed's stories appears. Their foe is none other then Asterius, or more commonly known as The Minotaur.

Our party doesn't stop moving and continue in their race to end the chase. They finally reach the top of the hill and pass over the demarking line of camp half blood. Well our Trio make it across, Sally Jackson does not. Perce is the first to act as her mother is now grabbed by the minotaur and crushes her throat. Perce is shocked at the sight of her mother turning to gold dust right before her eyes. Not shocked enough to not take out her sword and bellow in rage in a charge against the minotaur for murdering her mother, but shocked the same. Perhaps it just hasn't sunk in yet. Ed rushes to the aid of his friend after putting Grover down under the massive pine tree and as he is doing this a plan forms in his mind. It's not a smart plan he thinks but it might work. Ed Runs around the Minotaurs back and with his back to a tree he yells "Asterius, are you truly more monster then man? Has your time in that Deranged dungeon Deprived you so?" Ed's plan quote the play that he preformed at the end of the year for Mr Brunner, 'The Tale Of Theseus'. The Minotaur hears what is said and stops his charge to meet Perce as he turns around, hoping to see the hero king of Athens. His rage can almost be seen as a red haze as he realizes the deceit, or that rage may be from getting stabbed by Perce who didn't halt her charge.

Asterius bellows in pain and attempts to get up and turn around to attack his foe only for his Achilles tendon to be slashed by Perce as he makes the effort to stand. The Minotaur makes one final play for his life as Perce is distracted in her wind up to behead it, The Minotaur elbows Perce in the gut. At least it would have had Ed not managed to freeze its rain soaked arm making it unable to stop Perce's purging of the beast. As the beast fades leaving only a horn as the spoil, Perce collapses and mourns her mother. Ed doesn't really know how to comfort someone who just lost their mother, but he does know how to help Perce when she's sad. "Hey, Perce" Ed starts as she looks up to her friend who has his left fist raised in a fist bump "We're in this through thick and thin right?" Perce lunges forward and hugs her friend as she whispers in a distraught but hopeful voice "We're in it together". They go and help Grover to his hooves as the troublesome trio leave to the big house in the distance, they knock on the door and promptly collapse from a mixture of exhaustion and car accident.

AuthorNote

Sorry for lack of uploads had some liver problems, still got them but i should be okay just had a lot of doctors appointments. Should upload more frequently now thank you for understanding.