Annabeth, Grover, Percy, Sydney, Nathan and Kate holding Terry are walking through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making the night sky yellow behind them, and they smell the Hudson reeks in their noses.
"Three Kindly Ones. All three at once." Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror.
Percy was pretty much in shock himself. The explosion of bus windows still rang in his ears. But Annabeth kept pulling along, saying: "Come on! The farther away we get the better"
"We could have asked for help" Sydney points out, following them alone.
"They would call children services on us" Kate states, seeing they won't get any help.
"All our money was back there, our food and clothes. Everything." Percy reminded her, they left all their stuff on the bus.
"Well, maybe if you hadn't decided to jump into the fight—"
"What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?" Percy retorted.
"I'm sure the daughter of Athena had a great plan" Kate glaring at Annabeth, as she steps away from the Chaos daughter of blood and war who gets more angry carrying Terry.
"You didn't need to protect me, Besides, the situation was already under control." Annabeth states, but Sydney shakes her head.
"No it wasn't, it was a shit show" Sydney states
"Sliced like sandwich bread, but fine." Grover agrees with her, Annabeth glares at the two.
"Shut up you two" Annabeth spoke out.
"Tin cans ... A perfectly good bag of tin cans." Grover brayed mournfully, Kate had enough.
"ENOUGH!" Kate said in a cold tone, making everyone shut up, Kate turned to Terry as reach for his wallet.
"Here's some money" Kate said, robbing Terry and showing the amount of cash in his wallet.
"You're robbing Terry!" Annabeth said, seeing the thief, but shut up and saw the glare.
"Yes." Kate said, not caring she stole from Terry as everyone follows behind her.
After a few minutes, Sydney fell into line next to Percy.
"Hey Percy, thanks for coming back for us" Sydney thanks for saving them, Percy smiled.
"Were a team right?" Percy asked, Annabeth came up to him.
"yes it was brave of you" Annabeth trying to say her two cents, Percy only nods. Annabeth was silent for a few more steps.
"It's just that if you died ... Aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over. This may be my only chance to see the real world." Annabeth explains to him.
"You can't leave at all?" Nathan asked, demi-gods can't leave Camp –half bloods.
"Monster sense half-bloods, especially the strong ones" Grover mentions, monsters do attack demi-gods.
"Nothing stopping you from leaving the camp, waiting years for a quest to leave is sad" Kate spoke down on Annabeth, seeing her weak to wait for a quest to leave the camp.
Annabeth glares at her but Kate doesn't care, she says her piece and Annabeth looks away.
The storm finally subsided, leaving them in total darkness as they drifted back into silence once. until Percy broke it.
"You haven't left Camp Half-Blood since you were seven?" Percy asked Annabeth.
"No ... Only short field trips. My dad—"
"The history professor." Nathan said, all listening to Annabeth's story.
"Yeah. It didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood is my home," Annabeth said. She was rushing her words out now, as if she were afraid somebody might try and stop her.
"At camp you train and train. And that's all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not" Annabeth explains,
"You're pretty good with that knife," Percy said.
"You think so?"
"Above average, but not by much" Kate states honestly,
"You know," Annabeth said with a smile, "maybe I should tell you ... Something funny back on the bus—" Whatever she wanted to say was interrupted by a shrill toot-toot-toot, like the sound of an owl being tortured.
"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" Grover cried. "If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods!"
He puffed out a few notes, but the tune still sounded suspiciously like Hilary Duff, Nathan grits his teeth holding his ears.
Instead of finding a path, Percy immediately slammed into a tree and got a nice-size knot on his head.
"Be careful Percy," Kate said,
"I can't see where I am going. It's too dark in here," Percy said, Nathan snaps at Grover.
"WILL YOU STOP THAT!" Nathan shouted, grabbing the pipes, he lets out a breath. Terry mutters a few words as a glowing white-orb appeared in his side head and spread its dull light on the path.
"Wow! How Terry did that" Grover said, seeing it much brighter now.
"He talks in his sleep," Sydney said looking at the sleeping demi-god.
"I'm worried he might cast a spell in his sleep" Nathan spoke, worried about the Lonny spellcaster in the group.
"Whatever, it's a good light" Annabeth said.
"How many powers does Terry have?" Percy asked in a surprised tone.
"Magic is bullshit Percy '' Kate spoke with disdain, not liking the magic orb walking away from it.
"Can he teleport us to something?" Grover asked, but the demi-gods looked at him like he was crazy, Grover looked embarrassed.
Sydney reaches for her purse, going deep into it to grab her perfume, spraying herself with a relief smile. Annabeth and Percy look at her with envy but she sprays them too.
"Oh thanks" Annabeth thanked her as Percy smelled the perfume.
"Good perfume Sydney" Percy compliments, getting a smile as she sprays Grover who loves the smells.
"Is that, mangos?" Grover asked, Sydney smiled.
"oh you have such a good noise Grover, using mangos for the right smell" Sydney proudly said, spraying Nathen but he doesn't react.
"Nathan, What do you think of this one?" Sydney asked, spraying him again Nathan turned to her.
"What? Who..oh yeah I don't smell anything" Nathan replied, not smelling it.
"Seriously Nathan, it smells great better than this reek" Annabeth admits but Nathan twitched his nose.
"No I literally can't smell, I stop feeling my noise all day…now my eyes are hurting" Nathan complains, not being bothered about the smell, now his eyes are starting to hurt, Kate turns Nathan's head, seeing his blood in his eyes.
"You got blood in your eyes" Kate checks, getting concerned looks from the others.
"Oh no is that bad, please tell me it is not bad" Grover looked scared but Nathan waved them off.
"Calm down, is just a Subconjunctival haemorrhage, a broken blood vessel in the eyes, it's harmless" Nathan waves it off but Percy looks concerned.
"You sure? cause you know it…" Percy tries to say but Nathan finishes it.
"Could be another virus from my pops… most likely, keep your distance" Nathan said, hanging back to not infect with whatever his father gave him.
Terry groans on top of Kate, who looks annoyed at him.
LINE
After another few miles, they saw neon lights up ahead. Percy smelled food. Then he realised he hadn't eaten anything unhealthy since he had arrived at Half-Blood Hill, where they lived on grapes, bread, cheese, and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue.
'I need a double cheeseburger,' Percy thought.
They kept walking until they 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 the source of the neon light.
It wasn't a fast-food restaurant like Percy hoped. It was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and shit like that. The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. The neon sign above the gate was impossible for normal demigods to read, because if there is anything worse for their dyslexia than regular English, its red cursive neon English.
To Percy and Annabeth, it looked like: ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROUIM.
"What the heck does that say?" Percy asked.
"I don't know," Annabeth said.
'She loved reading so much, I'd forgotten she was dyslexic, too,' Percy thought, luckily the other four didn't have dyslexia
"Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, weird Name" Nathan reads, rubbing his eyes to try and see better.
"I think I'm losing my vision" Nathan complains, Kate turns to see Nathan's eyes are blood red, like it is full of blood.
"You need a doctor" Was all Kate can say, none of them know how to help Nathan.
"Tell me something I don't know" Nathan spoke.
Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken.
They crossed the street following the smell of the hamburgers.
"I smell…Hamburgersss" Sydney almost drool at the burgers.
"Hey ..." Grover warned.
"The lights are on inside," Annabeth said. "Maybe it's open."
"Snack bar," Percy said wistfully.
"Snack bar," Annabeth and Sydney agreed, wanting food.
"Are you three crazy? This place is weird, Nathan, Kate, Please Say Something!" Grover said.
Grover noticed the two weren't looking at him. Then Nathan and Kate saw in front there was a lot of forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gives him the creeps.
"Blah-ha-ha! Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover bleated.
"What am I seeing?" Nathan thought, both looking at the statues. They stopped at the warehouse door.
"Don't knock," Grover pleaded. "I smell monsters."
"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Annabeth said to him. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"
"Meat! I'm a vegetarian." Grover said scornfully
"You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminum cans," Percy said. Sydney glares at him.
"I need something in my stomach Grover, either burgers or roasted goat, now let me handily this" Sydney threats, scaring Grover
"Come on Sydney. Let's leave. These statues are ... Looking at me." Grover eyeing the statues,
"I am agreeing with Grover. There is something... Weird about those statues and the whole place," Nathan said, looking at each statue.
"Wake up Terry" Kate trying to wake Terry up, he only groans in response.
Annabeth and Percy were surprised at this, but before they could say anything the door creaked open. They saw standing in front of us was a tall Middle Eastern woman—at least, they assumed she was Middle Eastern, because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze. Her coffee-colored hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant.
"Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?" She said her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern.
"We're ... Um ..." Annabeth started to say but Sydney stepped forward with tears in her eyes.
"There was a bus crash on the road, it was horrible, we're orphans travelling with our social worker but there were sex offenders on the bus, they hurt our friend and cut his eyeball, we need help" Sydney gave a tearful performance while pointing at Nathan and Terry.
"Oh my goodness? orphans" The woman said. The word sounded alien in her mouth. "But, my dear! Surely not!" Sydney nods while wiping her tears.
"Oh but it is, we tried to call for help but the sex offender survived and we had to run before they caught us" Sydney cried as Percy gave a hand.
"Please help up, we've been walking for hours and are so hungry. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?" Percy asked,
"Oh, my dear," the woman said. "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area for all of you to rest"
They thanked her and went inside. Annabeth leans to Sydney.
"Sex offender?" Annabeth muttered to Sydney, she smirks at her.
"Please, before long, this woman will be eating out of my hands" Sydney said, with Percy smiling.
"It work didn't it"
"Your heads is full of kelp." Annabeth said to the both of them. Kate and Nathan look at the weird woman.
"Something weird about her" Nathan spoke with a whisper, Kate nodded.
"We keep an eye on her" Kate states while carrying Terry, both nodding as they walk inside.
The warehouse was filled with more statues—people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. Percy, Sydney and Annabeth were hungry.
They never noticed Grover's nervous whispers, or the way the statues' eyes seemed to follow them, or the fact that Aunty Em had locked the door behind them except Kate and Nathan. But the attention is on the dining area.
As soon as they went to the back of the place, they noticed a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Everything you could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front.
"Please, sit down, put your friend over there" Aunty Em said, pointing at an empty picnic table. Kate rests Terry on the table.
"Awesome," Percy said. seeing the food, as Kate pulls out Terry's wallet but the woman shakes her head.
"And this is free. It is my treat, for such nice and sad orphans." Aunty Em said, Sydney smiled at the free food.
"Oh thank you, your caring heart matches your beauty" Sydney gave her a sweet smile, making Aunty Em look at all embassies.
"Oh stop it you" Aunty Em waves her off.
"Yeah, thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said. but Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done something wrong, but then the old woman relaxed just as quickly. Nathan noticed this.
"Quite all right, Annabeth, you have such beautiful grey eyes, child." Aunty Em said, getting eyes from Kate.
'How she knew Annabeth's name? We had never introduced ourselves,' Kate thought, giving a slight glare at her.
Their hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before we knew it, she'd brought out plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes and servings of French fries.
Sydney quickly devoured her burger with her chips, Nathan slowly eats his food as he starts to blink rapidly, Kate was slowly eating her food, but had kept eyeing on the woman. Percy was halfway through the burger before he remembered to breathe and Annabeth slurped her shake.
Grover picked at the fries, and eyed the tray waxed paper liner as if he might go for that, but he still looked too nervous to eat.
"What's that hissing noise?" Grover asked.
Percy listened, but didn't hear anything. Annabeth shook her head. Sydney and Kate have an ear out hearing hissing, but Nathan rubs his eyes.
'Snakes,' Sydney and Kate thought, looking around for any snakes.
"Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover."
"I take vitamins. For my ears," Grover said, Nathan covering his eyes.
"That's admirable," Aunty Em said, turning to Nathan.
"What's wrong Nathan?" Aunty Em asked, looking at Nathan but keeping her distance.
"I don't know, my vision is blurring and I think my eyes are bleeding" Nathan sees blood from his eyes as he wipes it.
"Do you have eye-drops?" Nathan asked her, Aunty Em went to the back to grab some eye-drops.
"Here dear" Aunty Em puts the eye drop on the table and steps back, Nathan grabs it and puts it in his eyes.
"Smart thing to have them Aunty Em" Sydney spoke, Aunty Em waved her off.
"Oh I have similar issues with my eye dear, comes with age" Aunty Em rubs her eyes.
"But please, relax." Aunty Em spoke, she ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched them eat.
Percy was feeling satisfied after the burger, and a little sleepy, but he decided to be nice and make some small talk their hostess.
"So, you sell gnomes," Percy said, trying to sound interested.
"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?" Nathan asked,
"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... Most cars are not going this way now. I must cherish every customer I get." Aunty Em explains,
"Have you tried an online store?" Sydney asked Aunty Em, Suddenly Percy felt somebody else was looking at him. He turned, but it was just a statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket. The detail was incredible, much better than most garden statues. But something was wrong with her face. It looked as if she were startled, or even terrified.
Nathan rubs his eyes, sees a little better but narrows his eyes at the statues, looking slower he sees a faint human skeleton inside the statue.
'These were real people,' Nathan thought in horror, that he could see real bodies in the statues.
"Never had enough money to start it up" Aunty Em said, seeing Percy and Nathan looking at her statues.
"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly to Percy. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are married. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face"
"You make these statues yourself?" Kate asked, seeing Nathan look of horror as a sign, picking the knife under the table.
"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 statutes. This is why I make them you see, They are my company." The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that Percy couldn't help feeling sorry for her.
"Aunty Em, maybe you should get out of this store, hit the clubs, meet a new man, with a figure like yours it shouldn't be hard" Sydney tries to help her.
"Oh no Sydney, if anything my sisters have better figures than little old me" Aunty Em said. Annabeth had stopped eating.
"Two sisters?" Annabeth sat forward and said,
"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 with 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."
'Poor old lady. Who would want to hurt somebody so nice?' Percy thought. he wasn't sure what she meant, but he felt bad for her.
But Terry suddenly woke up.
"TOOTHPASTE HAS A TRACKER IN THEM, THE INTERNATIONAL WARS ARE DISTRACTIONS FROM THE REAL THREAT" Terry shouted, scaring everyone.
"TERRY" Everyone calls out, seeing Terry off the table as he looks around the place.
"Where the hell are we? Creepy ass statutes everywhere in a shithole warehouse, the health department would burn this shit down, you're eating burgers with the sound of snakes somewhere" Terry turns to Aunty Em, who smiles sweetly at him.
"Hello dear Terry, I'm Aunty Em you feeling alright dear" Aunty Em asked, Terry looks her up and down then turns to the other demi-gods.
"Really?! Guys I expect Grover, Sydney not getting it but I expected more from you all" Terry shakes his head in disappointment, Percy frowns at him
"What are you talking about Terry?" Percy asked, Aunty Em gives Terry the eye but Terry smells the air.
"Is something burning? Wait a minute" Terry walks into the kitchen.
"Wait Terry, dear" Aunty Em follows Terry with the others standing up to head to the kitchen.
They see Terry looking at a large deep-fryer boiling as he looks over it, Aunty Em looks confused.
"Yep, I see it Aunty Em, you got both a gas leak and a smoke problem" Terry explains, pointing the corner on the deep-fryer while pulling a confused Aunty Em
"See right there, come smell it, rightttt there" Terry pulled Aunty Em over the deep-fryer.
"Ok…I don't smell anything?" Aunty Em said, looking over the deep-fryer.
SPALLLSSHHHH
But Terry grabs her head and pushes it into the deep fry, to the shock of everyone watching.
"TERRY!" Everyone shouted at him.
"Terry what the hell?!" Percy is shocked at what Terry is doing, But Terry glares at him as he jumps on Aunty Em's head, keeping her head in the deep fryer as she struggles to get out.
"What AM I DOING? Percy Jackson, this bitch is a MONSTER!" Terry exclaimed, glaring at everyone.
"I mean COME THE FUCK ON! Statues of realistic people? A woman covering half her face all by herself? Eyeing Annabeth and Percy? Does it need to be more obvious!?" Terry rants out at them, pointing down at the screaming woman, flaying her arm and body trying to get out of the deep fryer.
"She is Medusa, former Priestess of Athena, curse by said goddess, ex-lover to Poseidon, mother to the Chrysaor and the Pegasus, sister to Euryale and Stheno, beheaded by the original Perseus, the Cursed Gorgon!" Terry exclaimed the most famous monster in Greek myth, to everyone's shock.
"Terry, what did we say about the true names!" Kate said to him, but Terry waves her off, not noticing Medusa stop moving.
"Please Kate, the bitch didn't hear me and I'm boiling her face" Terry said, not seeing Medusa's body start to grow with scales completely covering her almost nude body as her clothes come off.
"Now we cut her head off ... .OHHHHH" Terry throws Medusa, Medusa gets her head out of the deep fryer with a screech.
Percy was freaking out, realising Terry was right in missing all the signs, as Aunty Em No Medusa's whole body covered in green scales, her legs fused together into a long snake tail with greek like armor bra, her hands now sharp bronze talons for finger nails.
(Medusa from Clash of the titans)
But her head now reveals her hair like a snake, actually there are snakes as her face looks red and scared, showing her fangs and burned eyes as she tries to open them.
"You will suffer son of chaosSSSSS" Medusa screams, showing her true form as she tries to kill Terry.
"HOTSHIELD" Terry holds Cerberus's necklace; summon a circle of fire in front of him, burning the gorgon.
"HISSSAASSSS" Medusa hisses like the monster she became, aware from the fire.
"RUNNNN" Sydney shouted, everyone take off the kitchen as Medusa hissed at them, her face now healed.
"You can run but you can't hide" Medusa calls out, reaching under the kitchen, pulling out dual swords and a bow.
LINE
The demi-gods and satyr ran through the garden with all the statues, everyone looked around as they got their bearings.
"We're stuck in her nest," Nathan said, leaning on the garden.
"I can't believe I didn't release sooner" Annabeth said, but Kate glares at Terry.
"You had to say her true name, dumbass" Kate growls at him but Terry glares back.
"Maybe if you didn't put us in the middle of medusa's fucking lair, none of you thought statutes and Greek monsters, and I'm the insane one here" Terry points back at her, both ready to kill each other but Percy got between them.
"Ok enough, we are here now so what's the plan?" Percy stops them from fighting, Annabeth looks around.
"We need something shiny, a polish shield maybe for reflections" Annabeth said, looking for a mirror or something.
"What? In English please" Sydney complains to her, Terry signs.
"Look at this bitch in a mirror, throw dirt in her eyes or spit in her face, anything to keep her blind" Terry explains as Grover looks scared at the group.
"Ok, why don't we run out of here, it's not like she can catch us" Grover said, but an arrow is shot near his head, scaring him.
"AHHHHH" Grover shouted, everyone ducks down as another arrow is shot at them.
"Since when could she shoot arrows?!" Annabeth screams, seeing an arrow nearly hit her hair.
"YOU THINK I DID NOTHING IN MY YEAR OF ISOLATIONS" Medusa roars, slithering around her garden as she holds her bow and arrow.
Annabeth focused on the Gorgon, seeing from one eye her snake-like form as she looked at her garden.
"We need a plan" Annabeth said, holding her Yankee hat,
'Aunty Em... Aunty 'M'...How could I have been so stupid?' Percy said, feeling like a dumbass for not figuring out sooner.
"I have a plan" Terry gets everyone's attention, they lower to his level.
"We should move," Sydney said, but Terry held his hands.
"Silence Is Golden" Terry chants, a bubble appears around them.
"This barrier will keep us hidden for a few seconds," Terry explains as he looks at everyone.
"Ok first we split up around the garden, Percy will be the bait" Terry said, to their shock.
"The hell Terry?" Kate said, everyone looking at him.
"Medusa still has it out for your daddy, she will want to turn you to stone for masturbations" Sydney points out, everyone blush at her mentioning that.
"You had to say that" Grover covers his ears, Terry grabs Grover.
"Grover you're with me, we'll be the eyes and ears to everyone, I have a spell to speak with telepathy" Terry said while Kate scoffs.
"Great, having your voice in my head" Kate complains, not wanting Terry's voice in her head.
"While Medusa runs towards Percy we'll be around to trap her, Percy needs to run to one of us so we can cut her head off, are we all good on the plan?" Terry asked them, everyone nodded but Annabeth.
"That is a terrible plan!" Annabeth states, but Terry glares at her.
"You got a better one daughter of the bitch that created that monster, just stay invisible, Medusa will kill you, no questions asked" Terry points at her, not caring that he insults her mother as Annabeth glares at him.
"Annabeth, we don't have time for this" Nathan said, holding his eyes in pain as they looked at one another. Percy looks determined.
"Let's do it," Percy said, grabbing his sword. Terry claps his, creating a mirror like shards, handing one to each of them.
"This will help..BREAK" Terry said, breaking the spell as everyone. Annabeth puts on her cap, turning invisible, Kate runs around with Sydney as Nathan slowly hides behind a statue while grabbing an axe on the side.
"Ok Grover, fly now" Terry orders, but Grover get scared
"What about her shooting arrows?" Grover spoke out, but Terry held him.
"BONDS OF CYDARAK" Terry creates a red rope around Grover,
"I got you now MERA" Terry commands as Grover starts to fly,
"Wait Wait wait ahhh" Grover screams flying in the air, Medusa shoots an arrow at the satyr but Terry keeps moving Grover around the store, making her miss. Medusa hiss in frustrations
Percy runs through the garden as he catches Medusa's attention.
"Such a pity to destroy a handsome young face," Medusa said to Percy soothingly, catching him from a distance as she slither to him.
"Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look up." Medusa tempting him, Percy fought the urge to obey. Instead pick up the shard Terry made, looking to the blue glass he sees the Gordon headdress was gone, revealing her face as a shimmering pale circle. Her hair was moving, writhing like serpents with a long serpent tail.
"The Gray-Eyed One did this to me, Percy" Medusa said, her voice normal despite the monstrous form
"Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this." Medusa mentions
"Don't listen to her!" Annabeth's voice shouted, somewhere in the statuary. "Run, Percy!"
"Silence!" Medusa snarled. Then her voice modulated back to a comforting purr. "You see why I must destroy the girl, Percy. She is my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust But you, dear Percy, you need not suffer."
"You're weak Gordon, blaming a child for the actions of her mother" Kate calls out, getting a hiss from Medusa.
"You wouldn't understand daughter of chaos, your stature would be shattered as well" Medusa snarls but Percy hears Sydney's giggles.
"Poor lonely hag, no one but statues to keep you company" Sydney taunts Medusa snarls trying to find them.
"Keep it up, Percy you're close to Nathan, head to your right" Terry's voice is heard.
"OK" Percy muttered. Heading towards Nathan with Medusa eyes on him.
"Do you really want to help the gods?" Medusa asked. "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy? What will happen if you reach the Underworld? Don't be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain." Medusa tries to say.
SMASH
Only a garden Gnome smashed her head,
"Arrgh!" She yelled, her snake-hair hissing and spitting.
"Yeah the statues say fuck you" Terry calls out.
He followed the hissing and spitting sounds of Medusa's hair. He kept his eyes locked on the gazing glass so he would only glimpse a Medusa's reflection, not the real thing. But he sees her look forward and sees Nathan holding an axe.
"Get ready, AHHHHH" Percy screams, getting Medusa attention as she slither to him, Percy keeps an eye forward while his shard behind,
See her ten feet behind him, but he keeps running to avoid all the statues in the way, jumping over a bridge Percy slides down under a column with Medusa behind him.
"Come on Percy, I love a chase" Medusa tries to throw him off, but Percy isn't stopping, as he passes Nathan holding an axe.
"NOW" Percy calls out, Nathan swings his axe at the Gorgon behind Percy.
"AHHH" Medusa calls out in pain, Nathan misses her head, only slashing a few of her snake hairs.
"Shit" Nathan spits, as Medusa's tail wraps around him, Nathan struggles to get out; he closes his eyes when facing Medusa.
"NATHAN" Percy, Grover and Annabeth calls out, Kate and Sydney running to help him
"Disgusting son of chaos, a vile spawn of rot and plague, turning you to stone is a service to Gaia herself" Medusa states, her talons grabbing Nathan face, slowly pulling his eyelids open.
"OHHHHH FUCKKKKK '' Nathan struggles to keep his eyes closed but her Talons cut his face and force them open.
Medusa hissed her eyes trying to turn the Chaos spawn to stone.
But all Medusa saw was blood and green slime from his eyes, but no stone.
"Impossible" Medusa calls out; see Nathan not turning to stone. Nathan looks around.
"OH Fuck me, I've gone BLIND" Nathan shouted, his sight now gone as he struggles to see.
"Blindness?! HOW?!" Medusa calls out, never seeing one of the demi-god with blindness as Nathan squint his eyes, as Medusa tighten her coils around him.
"Cannnn't seeeeee ahhhhhh" Nathan cries in pain, his eyes out shooting blood right in Medusa faces.
"AHHHHHHSAAAAA" Medusa cries in pain, letting Nathan go holding her face in pain. Nathan falls to the ground as he tries to get up.
"Shit I can't see" Nathan said, feeling around him as he tries to stand up.
But he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"I got you" Annabeth said, helping him up as they avoided Medusa's long snake tail.
Kate, Sydney and Percy shows up to see Medusa glaring at them as she wipes the blood of her face
"You will all sufferISSSS" Medusa snarls, the three try to close their eyes but Sydney looks and sees she didn't turn to stone.
"Wait I didn't turn to stone" Sydney calls out, Percy and Kate look to see Medusa blinking as she tries to wipe her eyes.
"Wiping her eyes of blood, that same thing Nathan did" Kate points out, Percy nods.
"Guys, Nathan makes her powers useless, off with her head NOW" Terry said in their heads, Percy pulls out Riptide, Sydney her Harpy whip, and Kate picks up the axe Nathan drops.
Medusa hisses, pulling out two green dual swords.
"My stare might not work but I'm not weak" Medusa snarls, swirling her twin swords as she goes forward, Kate blocks the attack with the axe but Percy attacks on the side but Medusa tail trips him up.
Sydney whips Medusa's head but her tail catches the whip, pulling it back as Sydney tries to pull it.
Medusa growls and swings her blades at Kate, as blocks each attack but gets pushed back from the blades as Kate gets cut on her shoulder.
"So much for the daughter of blood, so weak" Medusa taunts her, Kate growls swinging his axe but Medusa avoids each attack.
"How can she fight so well, it wasn't' never written" Annabeth spoke in shock at Medusa's skill with weapons, Medusa smirks.
"You believe I spend my years doing nothing" Medusa snarls, slashing at Kate's arms, gritting her teeth in pain.
Percy attacks but Medusa avoids it, slashing his back
"Still too young Percy" Medusa spoke, blocking the whip and slithering to Sydney and wrapping around her.
"I'm not into bondage" Sydney grits her teeth while Medusa pets her cheek.
"You make a wonderful statue daughter of pleasure" Medusa flicks her snake like tongue on her cheek, Sydney moves her lips.
"No kissing on the first date" Sydney said, looking up and smirking seeing Grover getting pulled out.
"No Terry, don't send me thEEEERRREEEE" Grover screams, getting thrown into Medusa, who looks up only to get knocked out but his goat legs.
"OHHHWWWWAAA GODS DAMMIT" Medusa snarls letting Sydney does as Percy ready his sword to cut down Medusa head.
"You wouldn't harm an old woman, Percy, I know you wouldn't."" Medusa said.
Percy hesitated fascinated by the face, her eyes that seemed to burn straight through him, making his arms go weak.
"Percy, don't listen to her!" Grover shouted while on the ground. Medusa cackled, her tail grabbing his arms.
"Too late." Medusa pulls out one of her swords, ready to stab Percy.
WHIPPPPPPPTTTTT
But Sydney's Harpy whip wraps around Medusa's arms, stopping her blade.
Medusa and Percy turn to see Kate and Sydney holding the whip, Kate glaring at Medusa as Sydney smirks.
"No one touches Percy but us" Sydney spoke, both pulling the whips on Medusa sword arm, pulling her sword to her neck.
Percy watched with a sickening shock as Medusa cut her head with her own hand.
The monster disintegrating before him, Percy fell down as something fell to the ground next to his foot. It took all his willpower not to look. He could feel the warm ooze soaking into his sock, little dying snake heads tugging at his shoelaces.
"Oh, yuck," Grover said. His eyes were still tightly closed. "Mega-yuck."
Annabeth came while holding Nathan as Terry came next to Grover with Medusa's black veil.
"Got it" Terry wraps the black veil around the head, picking it up; it was still dripping green juice.
"Good Job, guys," Terry said. Kate glares at Sydney.
"Did you have to say that?" Kate glares at Sydney who gives a mischievous grin.
"Come on Kate, I'm willing to share" Sydney states making both Kate and Percy blush. Annabeth jumps between them.
"OK that's enough, everyone okay" Annabeth asked everyone.
"Yeah," Percy decided, though he felt like throwing up his double cheeseburger. Terry saw Percy's sick face.
"This will help you," Terry said. He puts his hand on his head and mutters a few words, a green aura around Percy's head.
"Thanks." Percy felt much better. "Why didn't ... Why didn't the head evaporate?" He asked, seeing the head still there.
"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war," Annabeth said. "Same as your Minotaur's horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you."
"Maybe not, I'm feeling better" Nathan stands up, no longer having blood eyes.
Percy recapped his sword. Together, they stumbled back to the warehouse. They found some old plastic grocery bags behind the snack counter and double-wrapped Medusa's head.
They plopped it on the table where they had eaten dinner and sat around it.
"So we have Athena to thank for this monster?" Percy said,
Annabeth flashed him an irritated look. "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, 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." Sydney points at her.
"Maybe your mom should have killed her instead of turning her into a monster just cause she got a man, just cause your mum's virgin prude doesn't mean everyone else has to be" Sydney points out, Annabeth glares at her.
"Oh, so now it's my fault we met Medusa." Percy's face was burning. Terry steps forward.
"Oh shut the fuck up, both your parents are to blame, so get over it, now leave yours parents bullshit out of it" Terry calls out to them.
"For once I agree with egghead here" Kate said, the others nodding, both Percy and Annabeth don't look at one another.
"What are you going to do with the head?" Nathan asked them, seeing the head still there.
Percy stared at the thing. One little snake was hanging out of a hole in the plastic. The words printed on the side of the bag said: WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS! He was pissed, but not just with Annabeth or her mom, but with all the gods for this whole quest, for getting them blown off the road and in two major fights the very first day out from camp.
At this rate they had never made it to L.A. alive, much less before the summer solstice.
'What had Medusa said? 'Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue.' Percy thought.
He got up. "I'll be back."
"Percy," Annabeth called after me. "What are you—"
Percy searched the back of the warehouse until he found Medusa's office. Her account book showed her six most recent sales, all shipments to the Underworld to decorate Hades and Persephone's garden. According to one freight bill, the Underworld's billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California. He folded up the bill.
"So this is the underworld's address," Terry said, who appeared behind him.
"Y-yes," Percy said and stuffed the address in his pocket.
In the cash register they found twenty dollars, a few golden drachmas, and some packing slips for the Hermes Overnight Express, each with a little leather bag attached for coins, Percy rummaged around the rest of the office until he found the right-size box. They went back to the picnic table, packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip:
The Gods
Mount Olympus
600th Floor,
Empire State Building
New York, NY
With best wishes,
PERCY JACKSON
"They're not going to like that, They'll think you're impertinent." Grover warned.
" I like it," Sydney said with a smirk, while holding Medusa's dual swords.
"You will Sydney," Grover said, none of them seeing the address change, Terry looks at the screen holding a finger to his lips and another across his throat.
Wait it that for me?
Percy poured some golden drachmas in 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.
He looked at Annabeth, daring her to criticise. She didn't. She seemed resigned to the fact that He had a major talent for pissing off the gods.
"Come on, We need a new plan" Annabeth muttered, as Terry stepped forward.
"Well then, you best listen to me" Terry grins at them, knowing he is the man with a plan,