𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 // 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑦 𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑜𝑛 ＆𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑠

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐗𝐕.

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"𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑏 𝑖𝑡"
— 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐚

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𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 the fact that Medusa immediately knew who she was. "I'm kind of irrelvant. You can just forget about me." she said, still looking away from the woman she had heard terrible stories about.

        "Oh, I don't think you are, beautiful girl. There must be some reason your mother chose to claim you when she did." Medusa said in a sort of motherly tone, not that Evangeline would know how a mother spoke to her children.

        Annabeth saw Percy wanting to look at Meduse. "Percy, don't. Eva, ignore her. She's a monster." the dark-skinned girl said quickly.

        "We all choose who we make our monsters, but right now, that one wants to tear you limb from limb..." she pointed to Alecto. "...and I'm offering you lunch. The choice is yours." Medusa then walked back into her home and the four quest-mates unveiled themselves.

        Evangeline put her arrow back into her quiver, releasing her tight grip on her bow. "I think we can trust her." Percy said suddenly.

        "What?" Annabeth shouted.

        "Dude!" Grover yelled, alarmed.

        Evangeline said nothing, watching Alecto carefully. "I can't explain it, I just... My mom used to tell me her story. And the point was always that she isn't what people think. And I definitely trust my mom. So I'm going in. You guys do what you want." Percy walked away from the group.

        "Make sure you put how stupid I was on my gravestone." Evangeline said, following Percy with a sigh. She would never leave him alone, even if it meant turning herself to stone. Grover was right on her heels, and Evangeline looked back to see Annabeth deep in thought.

        Percy and Evangeline found themselves in the dining room of Medusa's home, Grover trailing behind them. "You must be hungry. I left snacks on the table while I get something proper going." Medusa called from the kitchen.

        Evangeline eyed the food cautiously. "You think it's safe to eat?" Percy whispered to her and Grover.

        "Percy, I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm really hungry, and I'm ready to take that chance." Grover stared longingly at the food on the table.

        "Hansel and Gretel, buddy." Evangeline mumbled to Grover.

        The bell on the door jingled as Annabeth arrived. "Thanks for coming." Percy said to her.

        Annabeth frowned. " This isn't the same for me as it is for you." she said nervously.

        "Why?" Percy asked as Medusa came into the dining room, everyone looking away immediately.

        "You're concerned I would hold a grudge against you simply because you are a daughter of Athena?" Medusa poured them lemonade. "You shouldn't be. We're not our parents after all. And you and I might have more in common than you think. Please, sit and eat." Medusa retreated and Grover and Percy made their way towards the table, sitting down.

        Evangeline crept around the table and carefully sat down across from Percy. "So you're not a monster, what are you then?" Percy asked.

        "A survivor." Medusa admitted. Evangeline grew confused, because that was not the story she had heard.

        "You must be a little more than that. There's a fury out there that seems terrified of you." Percy added sugar to his lemonade.

        "Because she knows what I think of her. I don't like bullies. When one shows up on my doorstep, they end up spending a lot more time there than they planned for. The gift the gods gave me is that I cannot be bullied anymore." Medusa sat down, her painted red lips peeking out from under her veil. Evangeline thought she was a beautiful woman.

        Annabeth remained standing. "What my mother did to you wasn't a gift, it was a curse." she said sharply, arms crossed over her chest.

        Medusa showed no change in emotions. "You are loyal to your mother." she observed.

        "Yes." Annabeth answered immediately.

        "You stand by her?"

        "Always."

        "You love her?"

        "Of course, I do."

        "And so did I. So did I. Do you know the story of how I came to be this way?" Medusa asked.

        "I do." Grover said, eating some of Medusa's food.

        Medusa tilted her head to the side. "Do you?"

        Grover looked between his friends. "Do I?" he mumbled, unsure if he did or did not.

        Medusa smiled. "Athena was everything to me. I worshipped her, I prayed to her. I made offerings... She never answered. Not even an omen to suggest she appreciated my love," Evangeline wasn't surprised because the gods didn't even care about their own children. "I wasn't like you, sweetheart. I was you. I would have worshipped her that way for a lifetime... in silence. But then one day, another god came, and he broke that silence. Your father. The sea god told me that he loved me. I felt as though he saw me in a way I had never felt seen before. But then Athena declared that I had embarrassed her and I needed to be punished. Not him. Me. She decided that I would never be seen again by anyone who would live to tell the tale."

        Annabeth frowned. "That isn't what happened. My mother is just, always." she said firmly.

        "The gods want you to believe that, that they are infallible. But they only want what all bullies want. They want us to blame ourseleves for their own shortcomings. Even your own mother, beautiful girl, she was thrilled to see what Athena had done to me so she could have Poseidon all to herself." Medusa revealed, speaking to Evangeline. Percy an Evangeline made eye contact across the table, unsure of how to feel that their parents had a relationship.

        "That is not what happened. And you are a liar." Annabeth shouted.

        "Annie." Evangeline warned with urgency in her voice, unsure of how Medusa would deal with Annabeth's words.

        Medusa turned her head. "Something's burning," she sighed and looked at Percy. "Would you give me a hand in the kitchen? I think lunch is ready." Medusa left the room.

        Percy looked at Annabeth and Evangeline, both shook their heads at him. But Percy stood and followed Medusa. "Eva, Grover..." Grover looked up, food stuffed in his mouth. "...get ready to run." she advised.

        Evangeline grasped Luke's necklace, holding on to it for comfort. "Why did she call me beautiful?" Evangeline wondered aloud, unsure of how to feel about the way Medusa spoke to her.

        "'Cause you are." Grover said shyly.

        "Thanks, Grover," Evangeline laughed quietly, dropping her necklace. "It's weird. She clearly hates my mother, but she talks to me like I'm her child."

        Annabeth shrugged. "You're the prettiest girl at camp, Eva. You look just like your mother in her true form. Maybe the monster feels badly for you because Aphrodite is your mom." she said, eyeing the kitchen nervously.

        "Don't call her a monster, Annie." Evangeline muttered, gripping her bow a little stronger for every second Percy was alone with Medusa.

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