Flower Food || [Percy Jackson x OC] || [🎵 included]

Chapter 14: Man, I Hate Snakes

Aunty M looked like the kind of lady who would appear on the news for killing her thirteenth husband, but her smile was at least nice and she didn't appear any more serial killer-y than the bunch of preteens covered in mud at her door. 

The only thing Percy probably didn't love was simply how calm she was and her insistence on keeping her hat and veil on even inside her own shop. Her smile widened a fraction and even when he squinted at her, no angle would reveal her eyes. 

"Sorry to disturb you, ma'am," Song-ee said, her voice higher pitched and so sweet that it felt like honey was dripping out of Percy's ears. "It's just that we're so hungry, and your house smelled so good."

"We're runaways," Annabeth butted in next, and she even played the part by sniffling and rubbing away at - what the - tears in her eyes. Huge crocodile tears that pooled and spilled over her cheeks as she whimpered, "f-from the circus."

"Our ringmaster was so cruel to us, Aunty," Will pleaded, and Percy felt like he was in bizarro world as the son of Apollo bit back a sob and a single beam of sunlight shined through from the grey clouds above to highlight his teary face. "H-He would beat us. He would starve us for days and if we complained, then he'd - "

Will turned his face away and wailed into Grover's shoulders. The satyr, whose legs were already back into their human disguise, patted Will's back with a solemn condolence and said, "we had to run away, ma'am. It's just been so - hard."

Giant globs of tears gathered at the corners of Grover's eyes, and he let out a shuddering breath before burying his face into Will's hair.

Percy stood there, speechless, and almost bit on his tongue when Aunty M's bottom lip trembled and she said, "oh, my sweet, sweet children! Come inside, quickly now, and let's get out of that rain! Yes, hurry, my darlings."

"You shameless little..." Percy hissed once they all shuffled in and Aunty M hurried to the back, claiming she would bring them mountains of food to feast on. "What the Hades was all that?"

"How to Manipulate a Mortal 101," Annabeth said, the only signs of her crying being the small tear tracks left behind by her now completely dry eyes. "It's part of your core curriculum as a demigod."

"I always feel bad about doing it, but not all of us can manipulate the Mist," Song-ee said, not looking at all apologetic as she dabbed away any remaining tears with the collar of her shirt.

"She was definitely a case study number 47, but we probably should've done something more in the orphan direction," Will said, looking thoughtful as he hopped up onto one of the stools beside the counter. "Maybe more hiccuping, too."

"I have no idea what's happening," Percy sighed. He jumped onto the chair next to Will and ran a hand through his hair. "Seems like that's pretty normal these days."

"Case study 47 says that she's a woman in her late thirties to early forties who has a soft spot for pitiful and dirty children," Song-ee said. She sat next to him and her voice was warm as she tucked some of his hair behind his ears. "It's just observation, sugar."

"47 also says that she probably always wanted children of her own but couldn't due to biological or psychological demands, so playing up how young we are worked in our favor." Annabeth shrugged as she observed a small gnome statue on the counter near a mountain of napkins. "Let's just eat and get out of here. This place is awful."

"Here you are, my sweeties!" Aunty M trilled happily as she waltzed back into the room.

Sure enough, her arms were laden with all kinds of grilled fattiness, paltes perfectly balanced on her limbs as she served them with a precision that Percy had only seen in old diners in the city.