The Wild Berserkers Descendant: Son Of Power

Percy Takes One For The Team

At this point, I'm ready to slap the Fates into the middle of next week. Cause I'm hungry, tired, and soaked from the rain Zeus had called off. Must be nice to be Percy in this situation. He's completely dry

Walking along the New Jersey riverbank, we sloshed across the mushy ground, through nasty twisted trees that smelled like sour laundry.
Grover brayed mournfully. "My tin cans...All gone."
Percy was ruffling his hair, "What do we do? All our money and supplies were on the bus. How are we supposed to get food."

"We'll figure some out, Perce. Look on the bright side, Annabeth seems to have gained superpowers. I think," I said.

"Why do you think Scorpius chose Annabeth?" asked Percy. Annabeth glared at him, "Why wouldn't she choose me?"

"Cause she tried to kill you," hissed Percy. " Grover got between them and said, "This isn't the time to be fighting."

"We still have food, Percy," said Annabeth. Percy looked at her like she was crazy. Annabeth rolled her eyes and said, "Wow, you already forgot the fact you and Zari have knives that can make food appear out of thin air."

I looked at my flame tattoo. I had forgotten too. Percy narrowed his eyes, "Oh you must have a place in mind? I can't make other people dry yet, only myself. And it's muddy here, and this is one of the only areas I and Zari can summon food without people noticing. Since your the big brains, please lead us to a nice spot to eat, O wise one"

Annabeth pointed Poison Prime at Percy and growled, "Watch it, Jackson. I can and will kick your ass."

"That thing was in my chest. I got lucky, so I don't think you should be pointing it at someone." I said.

"ENOUGH!" yelled Grover. We all jumped. "Did you forget we need to prevent a war that will destroy the world?! STOP ARGUING!"

We all shut up and kept walking until I saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees.

On the other side were a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and the good smell.

It wasn't a fast-food restaurant like I'd hoped. It was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that. The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary.
The neon sign above the gate was impossible for me to read because if there's anything worse for my dyslexia than regular English, it's red cursive neon English.

To me, it looked like: UNAYT ESM DNERGA NEGOM MERIPOMU. "I can't understand it," I said.

"Neither can I," Said Annabeth and Percy at the same time.

Grover translated: "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium." 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. But these statues were perfectly made. so life-like

"I smell food," said Percy. Grover said, "And I smell monsters. So we have to kill whatever is in there."

"Are you sure your nose isn't clogged from earlier?" I said. Grover just raised his hands in frustration, "I know my nose."

"Zari, Can you scout the place so we can see what we're dealing with?" said Annabeth. I looked and Corvus and Onyx, who were drenched, "Can't. My crows are drenched."

Then I had an idea, "But scorpions can."
I awkwardly looked at my shadow, "Uh...If you can hear me, I need one of you to go scout out that place."

A small black scorpion appeared and scampered over to the place. When it got into the building, I suddenly saw through its eyes a tall woman who appeared to be Middle Eastern, because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, which were wrapping a veil around her head over a head of snakes!?
"....and the unknown boy has a bounty on his head. Maybe he will remove my curse if I bring him"