𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 | ᵖᵉʳᶜʸ ʲᵃᶜᵏˢᵒⁿ

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘹

Enid's eyes briefly met Percy's, but then she turned away, her expression guarded as she pretended not to hear his apology. She busied herself with adjusting her backpack, avoiding Percy's gaze as she silently processed the sting of his words.

"Alecto offered to help our quest if I gave you up to her," Annabeth admitted as she was trying to make Percy to leave Enid alone.

"What did you tell her?" Percy felt a knot form in his stomach, fearing the worst but desperately hoping for reassurance.

"I killed her sister."

"Medusa offered to help me save my mom if I turned on the three of you," Percy confessed.

"What'd you say?" Enid's voice quivered with a mix of concern and disbelief.

Percy's gesture to the severed head of Medusa. "I cut off her head."

Grover's words resonated in the tense silence, his voice carrying a mixture of determination and desperation. "You didn't choose to be demigods. We didn't choose this quest. But we can decide that as long as the four of us are together, none of us are gonna be alone. And if we can't do that, we might as well just head back to camp right now. 'Cause we won't make it."

Annabeth, Percy, and Enid exchanged glances, each feeling the weight of his words settle over them like a heavy blanket. It was a sobering reminder of the challenges they faced and the importance of their bond as a team.

He stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the head of Medusa, a spark of defiance flickering in his eyes. "I think I've got a better idea of what to do with this," he declared, his tone resolute as he began to outline his plan.

Percy grabbed a book and placed it on the table, urging his friends to gather around with curiosity evident in their expressions. "Hermes Express, she ships these things all over. Some of it goes to Olympus."

Annabeth's voice cut through the excitement, her tone tinged with concern as she addressed Percy's plan. "Percy, you can't ship Medusa's head to Olympus."

Percy's brows furrowed in confusion as he sought clarification. "Why not?" he pressed, his tone tinged with curiosity.

Annabeth exchanged a glance with Grover before responding. "Uh, because the gods won't like it," she explained cautiously, her voice carrying a hint of apprehension.

Grover nodded in agreement, his expression grave. "At all," he added solemnly, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. "At all, at all."

Enid interjected, her voice laced with a hint of skepticism. "Yeah, and besides, I'm pretty sure shipping a severed head is against some kind of postal regulation," she added, trying to
a touch of humor into the tense situation.

Percy's determination flickered as he processed their concerns. "Why? That's what you do with dangerous stuff," he countered, his tone reflecting his frustration at the seemingly contradictory nature of their warnings. "Like batteries, you just send them back where they came from."

"Okay, look, this is a bad idea. They will see this as impertinent," Annabeth insisted, her voice firm as she tried to dissuade Percy from his plan.

Percy's voice dripped with sass as he delivered his response. "I am impertinent."

Enid rolled her eyes playfully at Percy's remark. "Oh, well, that's comforting," she quipped, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Because ticking off the gods is definitely on my bucket list."

Percy set a cardboard box down on the table, his expression serious as he addressed his companions. "Look. Medusa tried to derail our quest. She's got serious beef with your mom. When you look at it that way, this seems kinda like tribute or something, doesn't it? And besides..." Percy reached for Annabeth's hat and extended it towards her. "...this way, a part of your mom's still with us."

"Thank you," Annabeth responded softly, her voice filled with gratitude as she took the hat from Percy's outstretched hand.

As Percy securely shut the cardboard box containing Medusa's head, Grover watched intently, a mixture of apprehension and relief evident in his expression. "So this isn't what i meant. By choosing each other. There are actual dangers involved here that cannot be..."

Grover's words were cut off as Percy began to clap his hands in rhythm, effectively interrupting him. "You're gonna sing the song, aren't you?"

As Percy playfully continued his rhythmic clapping, he glanced over at Enid with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, secretly hoping to elicit a laugh from her. Enid couldn't help but chuckle at Percy's playful interruption, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she exchanged a knowing look with him.

Percy tapped faster and faster, creating a lively rhythm to accompany his words. "Oh, golly. The road's gettin' bumpy. Consensus"