"Three Kindly Ones. All three at once." Grover shivered.
"Come on! The farther away we get, the better." Annabeth sighed.
"All our money was back there," Percy reminded her. "Our food and clothes. Everything."
"Well, maybe if you hadn't decided to jump into the fight—" I started.
"What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?" He asked.
"You didn't need to protect me, Percy. I would've been fine."
"Sliced like sandwich bread, but fine." Grover put it.
"Shut up, goat boy," Annabeth snapped.
"Tin cans... a perfectly good bad of tin cans."
I walked next to Percy. "Look, I... I appreciate your coming back for us, okay? That was really brave."
"We're a team, right?"
I was silent for a bit. "It's just that if you died... aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over. This may be my only chance to see the real world."
It had stopped raining, but walking through mud sucked. I was ruining my good pair of shoes.
"You haven't left Camp Half-Blood since you were seven?"
"No. Only short field trips. My dad—"
"The drunk."
"Yeah. It didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood is my home." I knew I was talking fast, but I couldn't stop. "At camp you train and train. And that's cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not."
Sure, Luke always said I was doing good. Sure, I was evenly matched with him. Sure, I always beat Annabeth.
But I was used to them. I know what they would pull on me. I knew them like I knew the back of my hand.
These monsters?
I didn't know them.
I had no clue what they could try to pull on me.
What they would do when I least expected it.
"You're pretty good with that sword." Percy said.
"You think so?"
"Anybody who can tie up a Fury is okay by me."
I smiled.
"You know, maybe I should tell you... something funny back on the bus..."
I was going to tell him how I was annoyed he had a cool sword like me, but a shrill noise came in front of us.
"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" Grover cried. "If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods!"
We kept walking and I heard something slam into a tree. I could barley see, but I noticed Percy backing away from a tree next to me.
I smiled to myself and we kept walking.
After a bit, we came across a road. Across from us was a closed gas station, a billboard for some 90s movie, and one business.
It looked like some low building that was a warehouse with some land around it.
There was a neon sign above the gate and I tried to read it.
ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROUIM.
"What the heck does that say?" Percy questioned.
"No clue," I shrugged.
Grover translated for us: "Aunty Em'e Garden Gnome Emporium."
We came up on the entrance, where two gnomes were.
"Hey..." Grover warned us.
"The lights are on inside, maybe it's open." Annabeth said, ignoring him.
"Snack bar," Percy said.
"Snack bar," I agreed.
"Are you three crazy? This place is weird." Grover sighed.
The front held many statues, including a satyr playing the pipes.
"Bla-ha-ha!" Grover bleated. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!" We came up to the door. "Don't knock, I smell monsters."
"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies. All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"
"Meat!" Grover said scornfully. "I'm a vegetarian."
"You eat cheese enchiladas and aluminum cans." Percy deadpanned.
"Those are vegetables. Come on, let's leave. Those statues are looking at me."
The door opened and in front of us was a tall woman covered from head to toe in a black gown, where I could see nothing but her hands.
"Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?" She asked us, a slight Middle Eastern accent.
"They're... um..." Annabeth struggled to find something.
"We're orphans." Percy blurted.
"Orphans?" She said. "But, my dears! Surely not!"
"We got separated from our caravan, our circus caravan." I added, going along with Percy. "The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?"
"Oh, my dears, you must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."
We went inside.
"Circus caravan?" Annabeth muttered to me.
"Always have a strategy, right?"
"You're an idiot."
I smiled and kept on walking, ignoring how the statues eyes seemed to follow me.
"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said once we reached the dining area.
"Awesome," Percy said.
"Um, we don't have any money, ma'am." Grover said reluctantly.
"No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."
"Thank you ma'am." Annabeth said.
Aunty Em stiffened for a moment, but she relaxed. I was just imagining things.
"Quiet all right, Annabeth. You have such beautiful gray eyes, child." Aunty Em said.
She disappeared and started cooking. I sat there smelling the food, not a care in the world.
She brought us double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and servings of French fries.
I quickly ate my fries, not even taking a second to catch my breath.
"What's that hissing noise?" Grover asked.
I shrugged, not hearing anything.
"Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover."
"I take vitamins. For my ears."
"That's admirable, but please, relax."
"So, you sell gnomes." Percy said.
"Oh, yes. And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know."
"A lot of business on this road?"
"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get."
Percy suddenly turned around. I was sitting next to him, so naturally, I turned around as well.
Behind us, was the statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket. Everything was perfect, it was so realist. But her face looked like she was terrified.
"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."
I turned back around. "You make these statues yourself?"
"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sister to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company."
I felt bad, how couldn't I?
But she mentioned two sisters. "Two sisters?"
"It's a terrible story, not one for children really. You see, Coriane, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a... a boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived. But at a price. Such a price."
"Percy?" I said, shaking him.
"Maybe we should. I mean, the ringmaster will be waiting." Annabeth urged.
"Such beautiful gray eyes," Aunty Em told Annabeth again. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray eyes like those."
She reached out to touch Annabeth, but she stood up. "We really should go."
"Yes!" Grover stood up, finishing his wax paper. "The ringmaster is waiting! Right!"
"Please dears, I do rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?" Aunty Em pleaded.
"A pose?" I asked warily.
"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."
I moved uncomfortably. "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Percy—"
"Sure we can," Percy said, and he sounded irritated. "It's just a photo, Coriane. What's the harm?"
"Yes, Coriane, no harm."
I glared at Percy, but followed Aunty Em to the statue garden.
We sat on a bench next to the satyr, who Grover still looked at strangely.
"Now, I'll just position you correctly. Annabeth, next to Grover, Coriane next to Percy, with the two girls in the middle." Aunty Em said and we followed what she said.
"Not much light for a photo." Percy mentioned.
"Oh, enough," Aunty Em said. "Enough for us to see each other, yes?"
"Where's your camera?" Grover asked.
Aunty Em ignored us, and stepped back, admiring us. "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"
Grover turned and looked at the satyr. "That sure does look like Uncle Ferdinand."
"Grover, look this way, dear."
"Percy." I said.
"I will be just a moment. You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil..."
"Percy, somethings wrong." I insisted to him.
"Wrong? Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"
"That is Uncle Ferdinand!"
"Look away from her!" Annabeth yelled and put her cap on, shoving Grover off the bench.
I grabbed Percy and pulled us both off, and scrambled to my left, almost tripping over him.
Percy slowly got up and started to look at her face.
"No! Don't!" Me and Annabeth screamed at him.
"Run!" Grover yelled. "Maia!"
Aunty Em— more like Medusa —kept talking to Percy, trying to convince him to look at her.
"The Gray-Eyed One did this to me, Percy. Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."
"Don't listen to her!" Annabeth cried. "Run, Percy!"
I tried listening to her, but Grover was right next to me with his shoes and they wouldn't stop making noise. He struggled on a tree, and suddenly flew off with a branch.
I heard a noise, and figured he whacked Medusa with the branch.
I shut my eyes and ran to the commotion, blindly twisting the gem of my ring, hoping I didn't stab myself with my sword.
"Hey guys! I think she's unconscious!" Grover yelled. She made a roaring noise. "Maybe not!"
I swung my sword around where I knew Medusa was, but it was hard because Grover was also there, attempting to do the same thing as me.
"Coriane!" Percy yelled. I turned to where he was and opened my eyes. He held his sword and a glass ball for some odd reason. I took this as my signal to move away, so I did just that and stood behind a statue.
I gripped my sword and heard Annabeth yell, "Coriane! Watch out with that thing!"
"How was I suppose to know you were there!"
"Fair point."
Suddenly all the noise stopped.
"Mega-yuck." Grover said and I kept my eyes closed as I walked to them.
"Don't look." Annabeth said as she picked the head up with the veil.
Once she did, I went in front of Percy.
"Are you okay?" I asked him, my voice slightly shaky.
"Yeah," Percy said, but he didn't look too good. "Why didn't... why didn't the head evaporate?"
"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war. Same as your Minotaur horn."
"But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you." Annabeth added.
Grover moaned as he climbed down from a grizzly statue.
"The Red Baron," Percy smiled. "Good job, man."
Grover had a grin. "That really was not fun, though. "Well, the hitting-her-with-a-stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear? Not fun."
I twisted my sword back into a ring and we all went back to the warehouse.
"So we have Athena to thank for this monster?" Percy asked.
Annabeth glared at him. "Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mothers temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you as a nice statue. She's still sweet in your dad. You probably remind her of him."
"Oh, so now it's my fault we met Medusa."
I looked at Percy. "It's just a photo, Coriane, what's the harm?"
"Forget it, you're impossible." Percy said to me.
I scoffed. "You're insufferable."
"You're—"
"Hey!" Grover snapped at us. "You two are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even get migraines. What are we going to do with the head?"
"I'll be back." Percy said suddenly.
"Percy? What are you..." I trailed off as he walked away.
He came back to our table with a box, put the head in it, and began to fill out something.
I read what it said.
The Gods
Mount Olympus
600th Floor,
Empire State Building
New York, NY
With best wishes,
PERCY JACKSON
"They're not going to like that." Grover warned. "They'll think you're impertinent."
Percy ignored him, put some drachmas in a pouch and the package disappeared.
"I am impertinent."
"Come on," Annabeth muttered. "We need a new plan."