The Omnitrix holder and the lighting theif

Three old ladies knitted the socks of death

Percy didn't answer.

"You look awful." Grover frowned. "Is everything okay?" "Just . . . tired."

I left the room so the boys can sleep but one thing was for certain. Percy was in some kind of danger.

The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, thinking of the mistakes I must have made, Mr. Brunner called Percy back inside.

He came out later mad but I hugged him. He seems to calm down with the hug. We talk and I told him I will follow him for my bus journey before my parents pick him up.

He was happy and we went to pack. I had already packed everything and Ship hids in my backpack.

Soon even Grover joins me and Percy.

During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased.
But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound it must be because of the...

"Looking for Kindly Ones?"  Percy said making Grover nearly jump out of his seat. "Wha — what do you mean?"

Percy confessed to eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam. I was surprised and Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"

"Oh . . . not much. What's the summer solstice deadline?"

He winced. "Look, Percy ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers ..."

"Grover — "

"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and . . ."

"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar," I said before Percy turns to me shocked and Grover. "Yeah Mrs Dodds was real but she vanished in front of my eyes. I thought I was hallucinating and what to understand what was happening....sorry Percy."

His ears turned pink. Percy was a bit mad but accepted my apologies.

Grover fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need
me this summer."

The card was in fancy script, which was strange but my glasses which I wear for my eyesight allowed me to read Greek

Grover Underwood

Keeper
Half-Blood Hill
Long Island, New York
(800) 009-0009

"What's Half—"

"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um . . . summer address."

Percy looked sad thinking Grover must be a rich kid.

"Okay," he said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come to visit your mansion."

He nodded. "Or ... or if you need me."

"Why would I need you?"

I smacked Percy's head and glared at him and he said sorry to Grover.

Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I — I kind of have to protect you."

I stared at him. Must be important if he tells in front of me.  Percy looks confused for he has been protecting me and Grover from Bullies

"Grover," he said, "what exactly are you protecting me from?"

There was a considerable grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.

After a few minutes of clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover, Percy, and I filed outside with everybody else. ship wanted to help but I whispered no for I feel something is happening.

We were on a stretch of a country road — no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with the afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.

The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of bloodred cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. I want to go and get something from that place but I saw three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen.

The socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of owl-grey yarn.

All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, and bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.

The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me and Percy. Oh no, they are the fates.

I looked over at Grover and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.

"Grover?" Percy said. "Hey, man—"

"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?"

"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"

"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all." I said

The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors — gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath.

"We're getting on the bus," he told us. "Come on."

"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there."

"Come on!" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.

Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. Her two friends balled up the owl grey socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for cause it's definitely not me or Percy.

At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life making everyone

"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"

Once we got going, Percy started feeling feverish and Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.

"Grover?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you not telling us?" Percy asked

He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"

"You mean the old ladies? The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn." I said and Grover paled. " Crap your clear-sighted....wait You saw her snip the cord."

"Yeah. So?" But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.

"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."
"What last time?" Percy asked

"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."

"Grover," I said because he was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?"

 
"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me."
This seemed like a strange request to percy, but he promised he could I know he going to escape 

"Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked despite knowing the answer. someone is going to die.

"Grover — that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?" Percy said. He looked at me and Percy mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on our coffin.

I like lavender.